


Deadly Virtues, Heavenly Sins

by MythGirl02



Series: DVHS-verse [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Blood, Character Death, Fangan, Gen, Genderfluid Character, Injury, Murder, Murder Mystery, Original Character(s), fan cast, i really like this ngl, im having a lot of fun with this, lots of ultimates here wow, my longest fic ever, or it will be once i finish it, some allusions to the main series, spot them all! (lol)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2020-12-16 08:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 135,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21032930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MythGirl02/pseuds/MythGirl02
Summary: Waking up from a dream is disorienting when you don’t even know you’re sleeping. It’s even more disorienting when the only thing I can see when I open my eyes is black, sort of swirling. There’s almost no difference between my eyes being open or shut. I can’t describe it in as many words, not in any language I know. It’s negro, noir, schwarz. Black as far as I can see. Nothing more.Ishikawa Camila, SHSL Linguist, thought she was going to get a normal school life. She couldn't have been more wrong.





	1. Prologue

Waking up from a dream is disorienting when you don't even know you're sleeping. It's even more disorienting when the only thing I can see when I open my eyes is black, sort of swirling. There's almost no difference between my eyes being open or shut. I can't describe it in as many words, not in any language I know. It's negro, noir, schwarz. Black as far as I can see. Nothing more.

I open my mouth to scream, to cry out, to say anything, but my vocal chords refuse to work, even though I can feel the strain I'm putting on them. I can't reach my hand up to grab my throat, I can't kick out to see where I am. Nothing moves when I want it to. I can barely feel myself breathe at all. I can't do anything but blink, which gives me no reprieve from the darkness, and try to scream. Am I still dreaming? Did I even wake up?

Somewhere to my side, though I can't tell exactly where, someone laughs a distinct, peculiar laugh. Wait- I know that laugh. I- I need to get away! It comes closer as I try to struggle harder, to get away, anything. I can't do anything!

The laughter stops as I feel the figure looming over me. I feel myself start to hyperventilate, black splotches laying over the black in front of me. This is how I die, isn't it?

And, as though I hadn't been awake at all, I fall back into unconsciousness.

**X-X-X**

My neck is incredibly stiff as I raise my head from my arms, blinking the last bits of blurriness from my vision. No doubt my face has red marks across it from the awkward position. My back aches from the desk chair-

Wait. Why am I sitting at a desk? I don't remember falling asleep in class. I _never_ fall asleep in class. What school am I even in?

I look around the room, my vision finally settling. Rows of standard desks are lined up in front of and next to mine- another something mysterious. I never sit in the back, always front and center, no matter what school I'm in. There aren't any supplies on mine or any of the other desks, either. No backpacks, nothing. No hint of anyone ever being here.

Up front is a teacher's desk, also bare, and a blackboard with no hint of writing on it, like it was wiped completely clean. At least I didn't miss any notes, though I somehow doubt that's relevant now.

All of the walls are mostly bare, with strange decorative designs on them, almost like a bright yellow leopard print. Whoever designed this place couldn't have had much talent in their field. Not only that, but the only light coming in is from above me. The couple windows in this classroom are boarded up with iron plates and bolts. Strange…

And that, in the corner. Is that a camera? The monitor opposite it, I get; most schools have at least one room with one. But a camera? Maybe they're extra strict about security here, wherever this is.

"Hello?" My voice is hoarse and dry, like I haven't spoken or had water in days. It almost hurts to speak. I stand from the desk and nearly collapse on my shaky legs. I don't recognize this classroom at all, though I've been in so many before. This one, at least, I recognize as being in Japan, thanks to the traditional sayings written in kanji hanging on the front walls. I'm home, then. That does a little to calm my nerves. I haven't been home in a long time, not since-

Since-

Huh. I actually can't remember. But still remains the mystery of how I got here. The last thing I remember is- oh, wait! That's it!

I stagger over to the classroom door and open it wide. Immediately, I'm greeted with a brightly-lit hallway. I close my eyes for just a second to let them adjust, and as soon as I open them again I'm greeted by the sight of a blue-haired boy my age, sixteen, with serious eyes.

"Ah!" I nearly fall backwards in shock, but I manage to grab onto the door frame to steady myself. What a first impression that would've been. "Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same." Jeez, his voice sounds as serious as the rest of him looks. What with his yellow-brown uniform shirt and pants, not to mention how neat his somewhat shaggy hair is, I would've mistaken him for a teacher if he weren't my age. He turns away, not looking at me as he continues on. "Come on. We've all been called to the gym for orientation. The announcement just came on."

I stand still for a second before lurching into motion to catch up with him. Like hell I'm gonna be left behind here alone. "Orientation? Wait, hold on!" My instincts must be right, then, and my memory corroborates that. I know where I am now! Though I could've sworn the hallways weren't this purple...

He stops abruptly, mild irritation etched in his face. It already seems like a completely natural look for him, though he should be happier that we're here! "What?"

Making a split-second decision, I bow in proper greeting. "We should at least introduce ourselves, right? I'm Ishikawa Camila, Super High-School Level Linguist."

For a moment, I'm afraid he's going to ignore me and keep walking, but he bows as well. "Abe Fumito. Super High-School Level Historian."

Historian? Seems fitting. I can definitely see him as a future history professor, someone who's published many books. Someone prestigious. "You know, Abe, I've worked with a couple historians before. If you need my help with any translations, let me know!"

As I suspected I might, I receive no response to my offer. "Look, we have to get to the gym. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the last one there."

I follow him as he starts walking down the hall, since I have no idea where I'm going. Does he know where he's going? "So, are you excited?"

"Not really." His pace quickens, forcing me to jog to catch up to him. Wow, chilly. We've only known each other for barely two minutes and already he doesn't like me. At least during orientation, I might find some more responsive, friendly people. I'd rather not go through school with everyone hating me instantly.

The hallway we move down, way too purple for my liking, is to the right out of my classroom, so I assume that he was passing by and heard me move. As much as I want to, he's obviously not going to talk to me, so I don't bother. My throat is still raw, though it feels better as time passes.

Two things I notice right away about the halls: there are more cameras. I didn't realize it before, but I've already started looking for them in the halls. They're littered on the ceilings every few feet, all pointed and glaring down with their red _recording_ lights on. The other thing I notice is the lack of people. We're going to orientation, aren't we? Surely that would mean that the other students and staff should be showing us where to go.

Which reminds me- I don't know where to go. We wind down the halls, taking turns that to me make no sense. The obnoxious purple slowly fades to a sickening lime green. Abe doesn't let this distract him, and doesn't hesitate going around corners, staying in the middle of the hallway. I can't imagine this is just dumb luck, especially not once we find ourselves in front of the gym. He pushes the doors open. I almost expect for us to be greeted with a full gym, but that's not the case. Rather, it's empty.

"We're the first ones here?" I can't help but phrase it like a question. After he was worried about us being the last ones here, too! I peer around the gym. There's not a lot here; some chairs for the ceremony, some random basketballs in the corner and a stage with a podium. Surprisingly bare. I imagine once classes start, there will be sports equipment all over the place.

"Told you I'd win!" I whip around at the sudden voice, unconsciously tugging Abe by the hand to look as well. He recoils and takes his hand out of mine, a strange look on his face. I don't dwell on it long, instead giving this new person my full attention. A boy with wild black hair and a track jacket sprints toward us, slowing halfway across the gym. Even though he was just running, he isn't out of breath. That's some pretty impressive stamina if you ask me.

"Maeda, didn't we tell you to wait?" a girl yells from the entrance, her shrill voice already out of breath as she and a taller boy, muscles clearly defined through his flannel shirt, jog up to him. A quick glance at Abe tells me that he would rather be anywhere but here.

"Hi?" I say, a slightly nervous smile on my lips.

The girl ignores me, patting down nonexistent stray hairs while shoving the guy's shoulder with her free hand. Her half-apron, layered over her skirt, flutters a bit with the motion. "What happened to don't run ahead, huh?" she asks, and I realize that her voice is just as shrill talking as it is yelling. Lovely.

Abe shifts his eyes over to me briefly, as if telling me to do something to make ourselves more known, as the muscled guy puts a hand on her shoulder. "Chill out, Rikimaru. He's just excited."

I give Abe a helpless, already exasperated look. What am I supposed to do, exactly? "Hello?" I try again, and finally I get their attention. Not like I've been standing here for the last couple of minutes, and I'd like to think that I'm not that plain. Surely I stand out enough to be noticed.

"Oh, hey." The wild-haired boy grins at us. "You must be some of our other classmates! I'm Maeda Hayao, Super High-School Level Track Star! Nobody can run like I can!"

The girl rolls her eyes and scoffs, unimpressed. "As they've seen." She finishes fixing her immaculate black hair and looks me and Abe over. A snide look crosses her face. "I'll have to do you two over later. Don't let me forget. My name is Rikimaru Kirika, Super High-School Level Hairstylist."

Which explains the perfection that is her hair, and her contempt from looking at mine and Abe's. Upon further inspection, her hair is held like it is, nearly natural-looking, with a couple of bobby pins and clips. That's nice and all, but her personality surely doesn't match her beauty.

The muscular boy smiles kindly at us next. He reminds me of that stereotype for lumberjacks with his flannel and denim, but he's clean shaven. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd had a beard, even if he's still in high school. "I'm Matsumoto Takeshi, Super High-School Level Carpenter. Great to meet you."

Abe and I introduce ourselves quickly before Maeda makes a pointed look at Rikimaru. "Hey, bet you can't shoot more hoops than I can!" Great, he must've seen the basketballs. I glance up; yep, there's a hoop available.

Rikimaru grumbles under her breath about her hair, but still jogs to catch up with Maeda, her short, sharp heels giving a more defined sound. She won't be outdone, but I wonder how she could run all the way here in heels, no matter how short they are. There's a definite reason I wear flats.

"...I should probably watch them, make sure a fight doesn't break out." Matsumoto gives us a wave as he goes to the corner with them, leaving me and Abe alone again.

"They're eccentric, aren't they?" I stare off after them. Yeah, eccentric seems to be the right word to fit them collectively. "I have a feeling they're not going to be the only ones, either."

"Right." Abe stares after them, though his expression is unreadable. An awkward silence fills the air, at least until Maeda and Rikimaru start shooting hoops, the sounds of their banter and the basketballs overwhelming the silence.

I sigh, shifting my position. I want to try talking to him again, but he would probably ignore me, so I don't bother.

For now.

No promises for the future.

Even with the gym doors closed again, I can hear shouting coming from the other side of them, getting louder as the person approaches. I think it's a good kind of shouting, but I can't be sure from here. Abe takes a deep breath, but steels himself like he knows how to deal with loud people. I make a mental note to ask him about that later. I have a feeling I'm going to need to know how.

The shouting I heard comes from the mouth of a boy walking backwards into the gym. "-ridiculous!" he's shouting at someone I can't see yet. His head turns like he's looking for- something. I'm not sure what. Abe rubs his forehead like he already has a headache. I can't say I blame him, between the shouting and the louder two in the corner. "Why aren't there any phones? Where is mine?"

A girl with lean muscle follows him in, just far enough behind that she isn't automatically associated with him. She watches him with a blank expression and doesn't say anything to the two of us, just braces herself against the wall with her stockinged legs crossed. She seems oddly calm, a foil to the boy's franticness. Just looking at her is so much better than listening to this boy.

"Hey," I say, momentarily catching the girl's attention. Her eyes pierce through me, dark and sharp. I almost flinch under her gaze. "My name is-"

"You!" The boy rushes up to us and puts his hands on my shoulders. His grip is much too tight and he shakes me a little as he talks. His eyes, a dusty rose-like color, are wide and frantic, much like the rest of him. Please tell me that he has an off switch! "Do you know anything about the wifi and reception here? Where did my phone go?"

I smack his hands off of me and straighten out my dress shirt. Appearances are key to a good first impression, and I will not have mine ruined. "I don't know!" It didn't even register with me before that I didn't have my phone. Did I leave it at home? "Who are you?"

In an instant, his whole demeanor changes. His expression becomes less frantic and more cocky, like a C-list celebrity who expects to be recognized and asked for autographs, though nobody does. He tugs on his purple jacket and slips his hands half into the pockets of his jeans. "Oh, you know me! My blog is only one of the most popular and well-known in Japan."

"I already told you. Nobody knows who you are." It takes a moment for me to realize that it was the girl who spoke. She pushes herself off of the wall and comes over to us. "His name is Aoyama Nozomu, Super High-School Level Blogger." Her eyes shift over to him, but he doesn't notice. He's too busy striking some odd kind of pose. Maybe he thinks he's in an anime or something. "Idiot." She shakes her head, lifting her hand to a charm hanging from a chain around her neck. "I am Saito Kagami, Super High-School Level Archer."

Abe and I introduce ourselves again. I'm getting better at making introductions to the point already. Abe starts talking again as Aoyama's pose melts into a more natural stance. "Orientation should be starting soon. I'd make yourselves comfortable."

Saito takes a look around the gym. Her lips tug down into a firm line at the folding chairs in the center. "Not the most comfortable orientation I've ever been to." Nevertheless, she shrugs and goes back to the wall, choosing to watch the competition between Maeda and Rikimaru while we wait. Aoyama wanders over to that group of three, probably to make himself known to them and see if he can get anyone who recognizes him.

Abe looks after Aoyama with a somewhat puzzled look on his face. "Something wrong?" I ask, and am actually a bit surprised when he answers.

"Nothing. I didn't say so, but one of my older sisters is a fan of his." I notice his brief hesitation when he mentions his sister, but he stares hard at Aoyama's back, not acknowledging it. It's a wonder I got anything out of him at all. "Can't really see why."

"Maybe he's better on paper? I don't know, but I'm glad you didn't mention it. His ego would've bloated bigger than the gym if you said something." I smile as Abe lets out something akin to a laugh. I'm getting through to him!

I want to carry the momentum through into a question, some kind of icebreaker, but before I can, four more people walk into the room. Two of them, a long-haired girl in a t-shirt and denim shorts and a shorter boy, are already talking animatedly with each other, and move so they're sitting in front of the stage. They're so engrossed in their conversation that they don't register anyone else here.

The other two, another boy-girl pair, are kind of distant from each other. The girl smiles when she sees me and Abe, and comes to greet us right away. She's poised, with almost as much muscle as Saito, though she's more elegant in a gauze-like skirt. "Hi! You're all here for the orientation, right?"

"That's right," Abe says, and as soon as he says that, the boy she's with shoots her an _I told you so_ look.

She sighs in exasperation, ignoring his look. "It's not my fault we've never been in this building before! How was I supposed to know where to go? And it's not like they were being much help, either." The two from earlier don't hear her. That, or they purposely ignore her. It's hard to tell. "I'm sorry for getting us lost, okay?" She deflates a bit, tugging at the hem of her skirt. "I'm Ueda Miyuki, Super High-School Level Figure Skater." She points to the girl by the stage. "That's Hamasaki Utako, Super High-School Level Guitarist. Next to her is Fujimoto Hidekazu, Super High-School Level Songwriter. I guess I can see why they're banding together; they barely finished introducing themselves before they started making googly eyes at each other."

The boy lifts his hand in greeting. "And I'm Ikeda Kazuhiko, Super High-School Level Massage Therapist." All the names start swimming in my head. How many more people can there possibly be? But if I'm being honest, his laid-back behavior definitely fits his talent, at least that I've seen so far.

"Do we know when the orientation is going to start?" Ueda asks me, her ash-colored hair sweeping over her shoulders as she tilts her head.

"No clue. I don't think this is everyone, either." Ueda nods, momentarily distracted by Rikimaru and Maeda bickering even louder than they were earlier. Aoyama snickers. I bet he wishes he could be recording this for his blog. He seems like the type.

Ikeda wanders off to a quieter corner, likely having the same idea as Saito. Ueda lingers by me and Abe, though. "Probably about four or five of us left, wouldn't you say?"

I go to respond, but just then, four people, true to Ueda's prediction, filter in. One of them, a girl with curled pigtails, sifts through some tiny scraps of paper or something that she's holding. "Perfect. I'll be needing these."

Behind her, a short girl walks as though she's in a trance, not really taking in what's going on around her. I'm surprised she doesn't bump into the first girl at all. Ueda and I glance at each other, and then back to her. Abe is completely disinterested. "Is she-"

"Don't worry about her. She's fine." Another girl, wearing overalls and a golden-brown braid, follows them in with a curly-haired boy.

"She's just daydreaming, that's all," the boy adds with a smile. It's a warm, welcoming smile. I can tell I'm going to like him already. "I'm Kadoshima Yasu, Super High-School Level Friend, but you can call me Yasu. It's great to meet you!"

The girl he's with smiles at us, too. She bows politely, her braid falling over her shoulder. "Sasaki Hanayo, Super High-School Level Herbalist."

The pigtail girl shifts her attention onto us, pocketing the slips of paper. "My name is Yoshida Etsuko, Super High-School Level Lucky Student. Which is why I'm going to be using all those band-aids within a week, trust me." Oh, so that's what she was holding: band-aids. Makes sense, now that I think about it.

As if sensing that it's her turn, the spaced-out girl perks up and waves with a cheery smile of her own. "I'm Oshiro Amaya, Super High-School Level Astrologist." Which makes my previous thought funnier; she really _was_ spaced out. I smile to myself at the pun, even though nobody else heard it.

Ueda and I introduce ourselves, and I play-glare at Abe until he introduces himself as well. He's still a meter or so away from us; he must not like large groups or something.

"So this is orientation? Good to know." I look up past Sasaki and Yasu and freeze at who I'm looking at. The four of them and Ueda turn and freeze as well. He's one of the most handsome people I've ever seen, and I've seen many beautiful people from around the world. His face is comprised of sharp lines and smooth skin, and his smile is perfect. His hair is, too. I'm sure Rikimaru would approve. And his clothes help the whole looking-good-without-trying thing. "Ishikawa, Ueda, all of you, nice to meet you. My name is Nakamura Ikuo, Super High-School-Level Charmer."

Nearby, I can practically feel Abe bristle. When I look back, his expression is mostly neutral, but his body language tells me quite the opposite. "Good. Now that we're all acquainted, I'm going to see if I can find out who's running this orientation." He turns his back to us and heads towards the stage with crossed arms and an air of irritation.

"Who pissed in his Cheerios?" Yoshida asks. I shrug; I have absolutely no idea what's going on with him, but I'm going to figure him out if it's the last thing I do." Which, hopefully, it's not. I still have a long life to live.

"He's probably just anxious," Yasu says in a placating manner. "Orientation, plus meeting a bunch of people would be stressful for just about anyone." I find myself agreeing with him. That must be why; he was fine just a minute ago. Yasu shifts uncomfortably for a second before speaking again. "And, so you know, my pronouns right now are _he_ and _him._"

Clarification? Part of me wonders why it’s necessary, but the other half is still occupied. "It's really nice to meet you all," I say with a grin. I can't help but look back at Abe, though. He looks like he's trying to be busy, but for whatever reason, he keeps glancing at us with an odd look on his face. "...I'm going to check on Abe. I'll be back." I go to him without any prompting from them. I want to figure him out; is that so wrong? "Is everything okay?"

His distracted frown doesn't slip as he changes his positioning, trying to peer into the wings of the stage. "He...rubs me the wrong way." Without him even looking over, I can tell that he's talking about Nakamura.

I want to know why. Nakamura seems like a good guy- definitely good looking- and if we're all classmates, shouldn't we be on friendly terms with each other? "So… Just out of curiosity, did anyone else happen to wake up in a classroom?" Yoshida asks, stealing the attention of everyone in the room. "Cuz that's something I would do, but I don't remember anything beyond stepping foot in the main entrance."

That's...exactly the same as me. And once she says that, all of the rest of us start looking around at each other in surprise at our common experience. "That's freaky," Maeda says, already looking apprehensive. He nods to me and Abe. "The two of you don't seem like the type to fall asleep in class."

"I'm not," I assure him. "This is all so strange, isn't it? Nobody remembers anything past stepping onto campus, and then waking up?"

Not a single person says they do. A chill runs down my spine as I look back towards the wings of the stage, where Abe was looking earlier. My eyes widen for a second- was that something moving in the shadows? Someone? Before I can bring that up to the group, or bring it to Abe's attention, the loudspeakers crackle to life. I cover my ears until long after the static stops, and our attentions turn to the speakers themselves. I feel as though something is going to happen at any moment, and I'm excited.

I'm also right.

"Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy," a familiar voice says. I know I've heard it before, but for some reason, my mind blanks on who it is. "This is your headmaster spe-"

The sound cuts off, and is soon replaced with this awful music that makes Hamasaki visibly recoil and the rest of us shout in surprise. I go back to covering my ears with a groan. It's less music and more clashing sounds, like it was thrown together at the last minute. Before it can play for too long, it cuts off again, and another voice starts speaking. "Testing, testing, one, two!" This voice is considerably higher in pitch, and is one I don't recognize at all. "Please disregard that last message, we're experiencing a couple pesky technical difficulties. I am your real headmaster!"

"That's- that's not right," I mutter, but I can't tell how I know that. Ugh, I'm not used to not knowing! The person who spoke first is our real headmaster. I know that! Whoever this is now is an imposter, they have to be. But- how do I know that?

A bell-like sound comes from the stage, and Abe and I step back. All sixteen of us are nearly forming a line in front of the stage. I wait for the "headmaster" to show himself- but instead, a stuffed bear that looks like a factory reject somehow swings up from below the podium.

Nobody speaks, moves, breathes, for what feels like an eternity. "Is this a joke?" Ueda asks tentatively. The confidence I saw in her earlier is gone now. What else could this be, other than a practical joke? Seriously, how juvenile.

"Of course it's not!" The bear's mouth moves with the words I hear, and it shakes a fist at us. Its movements are fluid, not at all like a robot or animatronic, which I assume it is. "I told you, I'm your headmaster! Headmaster Monokuma!" He waits for us to react, but as far as I can tell, nobody recognizes the name. He stomps one of his little feet. "Fine, then. Be sticks in the mud. Maybe you'll react more if I tell you what you're here for."

"School?" Ikeda asks, raising an eyebrow tentatively. That's the only answer I can think of, at least.

"Guess again! This may be a school, but you aren't here for schooling!" He does a little wiggle-dance. If I thought he couldn't get any stranger, well, he just did. "You'll be living a sort of dorm life together, living in harmony!"

Hamasaki looks around at us. "I don't get it. Does that mean we can leave whenever we want, then?"

Monokuma scoffs at her question. "Nu-uh! Did you see any exits on your way here? I don't think so! Like I said, living in harmony together!"

"Right. For how long, exactly?" Matsumoto asks, his expression uncertain.

"That's just it! You're going to be living here until the day you die! Which, for some of you, might be earlier than you think."

Maeda howls with laughter after a beat passes. "Good one! Whoever's pranking us, you can come out now." Nobody does, just as nobody speaks into the silence. He starts sweating nervously. "C-c'mon. It's not funny anymore." Still nothing. Nobody else says a word.

"I don't think he's kidding," Sasaki says nervously. She shrinks back towards Yasu, who's starting to look a bit faint. I hope they're both okay. Something like this certainly isn't easy to take in.

"Finally someone gets it!" Monokuma snarls, baring the fangs filling the left side of his mouth. Watching them gnash together makes me shudder involuntarily. "Overalls over here is right! This ain't no joke."

Just like that, everyone falls silent again, though this time is more permanent. In all of the languages I know, I can't find the words to use in this situation.

"You've probably noticed by now no windows or doors leading outside. Guess what? It's because you're trapped here at my mercy." He starts walking back and forth across the podium on stubby legs. He stops cold after a moment, his white half facing out towards us. "However, there is one way out." His beady red eye glows as his gaze sweeps the gym. "Murder one of your classmates."

Rikimaru laughs, sharp and staccato. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me! Stabbing, bludgeoning, beating, poisoning, spearing, skewering, strangling, dismembering, drowning, asphyxiating, crushing, even all of the above! It's up to you. That is the only way you can leave." Even though his expression didn't change, his tone is light, lilting. He's enjoying this.

"You say that," Fujimoto says, "but that's never going to happen. We'll find a way out of here." Brave words for a boy who's shaking so much that Hamasaki grabs his hand to stop it. Then again, he's much braver than the rest of us for even saying something.

Monokuma laughs, the piercing sound nearly bursting my eardrums. "You make me laugh, kid. I'm not worried about this one. Band together, yada yada, crush despair, blah blah, I've heard it all. And lemme tell ya: it never works. May as well abandon all hope at the door, cuz this isn't gonna end without someone dead."

He pauses for a second to let all of us absorb this information. We look at each other, all of us horrified. Even Saito and Abe, who I already pegged as the most steadfast, look queasy at this turn of events. "Anyway, if you'll please find your name up front, you'll find your e-Handbook." One by one, we go up and find ours. Mine powers up with no problem, though I can't help but notice Abe give his a funny look. Monokuma waits for us all to grab ours before continuing. "It's coded with your full name and personal information, plus some other handy things, like the school regulations. By the way, I suggest reading and following those. You'll be punished fittingly if you don't!"

He's...he's actually serious. Oh my god, I think I'm going to throw up.

"You'll need the e-Handbook if you want to get into certain places, such as the locker rooms. We can't have boys and girls goin' into one and doing to do, ya know?"

Yasu lifts a shaky hand, almost nervous to be talking to Monokuma. "So do I go with my biological gender, or my actual gender…?"

Monokuma tilts his head. "Wha?"

He brings his hand back to his side and swallows. "I'm genderfluid."

For the most part, Monokuma is more phased than any of us, especially since Yasu already told some of us. He pauses, taking a moment to think like he hadn't thought of it before. "I dunno. Just go with what your e-Handbook says, I guess. There might be a function on there or something already." He shrugs it off nonchalantly. "Anyway, read the regulations and weep. See ya later!"

With that, he disappears.

SURVIVING STUDENTS: 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the world of DVHS. I've been working on this idea for some time now, since before May, and now I'm finally releasing the fruits of my labor. Character silhouettes can be found on my tumblr (mythgirlimagines) under the tag "dvhs" if you want to see them.
> 
> I'm not sure how often I'll be updating, since I have a heavy editing process for this fic, but hopefully I'll have the first part of the first chapter up soon!
> 
> Also, please take the time tell me who you want to see Free Time Events with! That and votes on FFN will determine who has FTEs (apart from the first three) in each chapter. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 1 Part I

As soon as he’s gone, our e-Handbooks all chime at once in our hands. It flashes my name as soon as I turn it on again, and I see a little red dot above the area that says “School Regulations.” I tap on it, and there they are, listed nice and neat so the next one shows when I swipe the screen.

Rule #1: Students may reside only in the school. Leaving campus for any reason is unacceptable.

Rule #2: Nighttime is from 10 PM to 7 AM. Some areas, such as the gym and dining hall, are off-limits at this time.

Rule #3: Sleeping anywhere other than a dormitory is counted as sleeping in class. Those caught will be punished accordingly.

Rule #4: With minimal restrictions, students are allowed to explore Hope’s Peak Academy to their own discretion.

Rule #5: Violence against Headmaster Monokuma and the destruction of surveillance cameras is strictly prohibited.

Rule #6: Attempting to break into restricted areas is strictly prohibited.

Rule #7: Lending your e-Handbook to another person is strictly prohibited.

Rule #8: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes “blackened” will graduate, unless found out by their classmates.

Rule #9: Additional school regulations may be added as necessary.

“It’s not a lie,” I whisper, letting the e-Handbook drop to my side. Any shred of hope that it was a lie at all is gone now. My stomach churns and my knees grow weak. My eyes search the ground immediately in front of me before I look up at Abe and search his face instead. His expression is unreadable, though I detect something like a mixture of suspicion and anxiety. It’s an odd mix, though maybe not for this situation. I don’t know. I’ve never been in a killing game before.

“We’re not really going to kill each other, are we?” Hamasaki asks, her voice wavering. All of her earlier confidence is gone; she’s nearly backed up into Fujimoto, despite being taller than him. I would’ve made a crack at them if we were in literally any other situation. Her question is met with silence, the kind that carries a million different fears in it.

I feel defeated already, especially once I notice the suspicious gazes being sent around. Even Yasu looks warily at everyone else. I pegged him as the trusting type. Is everyone already accepting this…? “No. No, we’re not.” I startle as Abe speaks up from beside me. I’m surprised to hear him talk, but at the same time, I’m oddly comforted that at least one of us is keeping their cool. “We’re not going to let anything happen to anyone.”

Aoyama snorts and crosses his arms. He’s all but looking down his nose at us, just like he was earlier. “And how do you suggest we do that? Nothing is stopping anyone from going off and killing someone just to get out.” I...hate that he’s right.

“Self-imposed rules.” Abe’s response comes easily enough. He’s handling this as though he’s been in this kind of situation before, where he needs to be calm and collected. It must have something to do with the sisters he mentioned earlier; all the people I’ve known with siblings know how to keep their wits about them. We start gathering in a tight circle, our attention solely on him. “For example, no going anywhere alone, bathroom included. It’s better if we go in groups of three, just in case one of us is...tempted. And no going anywhere during nighttime for any reason.”

I can get behind that. It’s like he’s thought of just about everything. Very thorough. “And we should probably have people prepare meals together to ensure that nothing is poisoned, too.” I hate having to think that something like that could happen, but who’s to say it won’t? Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that’s not always a good thing. But I think this is a good group of people. With rules like this, I think we’ll be just fine. “Speaking of, do we know where we’re eating, or if there’s even food in this place?” My stomach is already starting to growl. I can’t recall the last thing I ate.

Everyone goes silent for a moment. I doubt anyone has an immediate answer. “There’s a map on the e-Handbook,” Saito says after a beat passes, turning hers around to show us. I almost forgot she was there for a moment. That’s kind of awful of me, isn’t it? “There’s a dorm area listed, right off the hallway from the classrooms.”

“That’s the area we got lost in,” Hamasaki says with an affirmative nod. “We weren’t there for long, but there were rooms that I think were marked for all of us, plus some kind of warehouse.” The way she was so involved in her conversation with Fujimoto, I’m almost surprised she noticed.

“We didn’t stay there long because someone-” Ikeda shoots a bit of a glare at Ueda- “decided to get us even more lost.”

Oshiro hums a little, rocking back and forth from her toes to her heels. “We should make finding food our focus, then. It’s probably around dinnertime now, right? We can look around more in-depth later.”

It’s a solid enough plan. At least, it’s better than anything anyone else can come up with, and we’re all hungry anyway, so we all agree. Ueda offers to show us the way, hopefully without getting lost this time. This is probably her wanting to make up for that. Abe falls to the back of the group instantly, along with Saito. I want to go with them, but Ueda begins talking to me. “This feels like a dream, doesn’t it?”

“Nightmare, more like.” My eyes shift around to the others. Most of them are chatting, probably to work off their nerves like Ueda and I are. Others are silent, but listen in to the conversations around them in order to distract themselves. I know, because I do this a lot, especially to ones in different languages. It makes my day much more interesting.

Ueda fidgets with the hem of her skirt, then her glasses, then taps her fingers against her thigh. She’s a nervous fidgeter, it seems. “I wish I could get out on the ice now. That’s where I can clear my head of all- this.” She makes a broad gesture with her hands. Body language- that’s one of the many languages I know well. Her eyes cut over to me, flighty and meek. “We’ll be okay, won’t we? Nobody will kill anyone?” She stumbles over the words as though she can’t believe she’s actually saying them. I doubt she’s ever had to say that sentence before in her life, not with that seriousness.

“Nobody is going to die.” For a moment, I actually believe what I’m saying. We barely know each other; there’s no telling if someone is going to do what Aoyama said: just go off and kill someone to get out of this place. There’s no telling what anyone will do at any given moment. We’re all wild cards for the time being. I shake my head to clear the thought. We’ll be fine.

Fine.

The dining hall is still open, so I suppose it isn’t nighttime yet. Immediately upon entering, I notice the blackened iron of the windows, matching the ones in the classroom, if a bit darker. The only light is from the lights mounted overhead. The thought crosses my mind that we don’t truly know what time of day it is, not without the sun and moon. Our biological clocks only do so much good for so long.

“I’ll check the kitchen for food,” Yasu offers right off the bat. “Anyone want to come?”

“I will,” Nakamura says. Matsumoto offers as well, and I stare at their backs as they disappear into what I think is the kitchen. Better that three go instead of one or two.

Rather than doing nothing, Ueda takes a step away from me and assumes a position of leadership. “Let’s push these two long tables together. If we move some chairs around, we’ll have all sixteen seats at one table. It’ll be easier to talk that way.” She starts pushing one of the tables before pausing and looking at Ikeda, Saito, and Maeda- AKA, the more muscular ones of us, save for Matsumoto. “A little help?”

The rest of us start moving the chairs into place as they bring the tables together- well, except for Aoyama. He doesn’t do anything except for tap his foot while waiting for us to finish. Being a popular blogger must really go to his head. He’s acting like we’re his royal servants or something.

“It’d be a lot easier if you pitched in a little,” Rikimaru gripes, somehow maneuvering two chairs over at once in her heels. I’m pretty sure she could stab someone with those.

...No. No murder thoughts.

“You all seem like you have it,” he says instead, the barest hint of a smirk on his lips. I roll my eyes, and perchance they land on Yoshida. She makes an all-bark, no-bite gesture towards him, and I have to stifle my laugh, especially as she quickly flips him off once his back is turned.

Moments after we finish and pick our seats, Yasu, Nakamura, and Matsumoto return with plates, napkins, and sandwiches for each of us. Almost instantly, my stomach starts growling. Ueda, on my one side, and Abe, on my other, both glance at me. Only one of them smiles at my sheepish grin. One guess who didn’t.

“There’s a lot of food in there,” Matsumoto says. He’s somehow balancing all sixteen sandwiches on two large plates, leaving Yasu and Nakamura to handle the individual plates and napkins. “Monokuma even popped in to tell us that it’s constantly restocked.”

Yasu frowns as he continues handing out napkins. “He needs to stop popping up out of nowhere,” he mutters under his breath, and I hear a touch of concern in his voice. For what, I’m not sure, but he doesn’t elaborate, so I don’t ask. I don’t think he meant to be heard.

“That’s great and all,” Rikimaru says, taking a sandwich, “but doesn’t that just mean we’re going to be here for a long time?” All of us fall silent and stare at her as she continues, as bold as her first statement. “Like, seriously. We have a kitchen stocked and replenished enough so sixteen people won’t starve in the matter of a few days. You can’t honestly tell me that you think there’s an exit somewhere.”

“Why have you given up already?” The words slip off of my tongue before I can stop them. That happens more often than I would care to admit, but at least it’s in the right language this time. Everyone’s gaze focuses on me as I splay my hands on the table. “Look, we may not know each other well- at all, really- but that doesn’t mean we can just give in right away. If we work together, we can find a way out.”

“You’re right.” I turn to smile at Abe’s response, but his eyes are cold and unforgiving. The smile melts off of me instantly. “We don’t know each other at all. We have no way of trusting each other completely. Anything could happen at any time, even if we did know each other. There’s no reason to believe that we can work through this as easy as that.”

Even after his gaze slides off of me, I keep staring at his profile. His argument is logical, yes, but even so, why not at least try to make the trust we need to survive? Why live in skepticism of everyone if we can fix it? “Why don’t we take a break from all that and eat?” Hamasaki suggests with a weak smile from across the table. “We need sustenance more than infighting.”

She’s right. I ignore Abe- for now- and bite into my sandwich. My mind is turning in circles so much that I can barely taste it, but it’s not as dry as I thought it would be. Conversations dull in the background of my brain until I finish my last few bites. Once I don’t have anything to focus on, it all becomes so loud. I can barely pick out any one conversation.

Ikeda looks over at me from across the table. “Ishikawa, you look tense.” Like it’s easy not to be in this situation. “Try a couple shoulder rolls, you’ll feel better.”

I do as he says, only now realizing just how tense I am. He’s right, though; I do feel better, looser. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” He goes back to his seemingly one-sided conversation with Saito.

Every few minutes, I do more shoulder rolls, making sure to stay loose so I’m not tense later. Before long, my eyes start to droop. Oshiro yawns loudly. “Imma go to bed,” she says her voice sluggish and drawn out. It can’t be ten o’clock yet, but I don’t mind going to sleep, either.

“We should all get some sleep,” Fujimoto agrees, yawning into his hand. He and Oshiro stand to leave, but Nakamura stops them with a hand.

“Hold on. I think, reiterating what Abe said earlier, it would be beneficial to establish some ground rules for the night.”

Hamasaki quirks an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”

He holds up a finger for each rule. “Most are what Abe said earlier. One, no going anywhere during nighttime, no exceptions. Two, no answering your door for anyone, even people you trust. Three, we meet up here every morning and discuss a plan before doing anything.” He looks past me and Ueda at Abe. “Does that seem agreeable?”

His eyebrows rise in slight surprise, but otherwise his expression doesn’t change a bit. “I suppose, but why ask me?”

Nakamura shrugs and leans back in his seat. “You seem to be the most studious, and therefore one of the most intelligent and logical of us. It’s only natural to seek your approval. Everyone in favor?”

All of us raise our hands easily in agreement. Ueda, Hamasaki, and Fujimoto show us to the dorms, just down the hallway from the dining hall. There are nameplates on each one of them, marking our own rooms and our neighbors. They’re unlocked, but one of the first things I see in my room is a key resting on the table in the center. I turn and lock the door behind me immediately. I know I was preaching trust earlier, but Abe’s logic is getting to me already. Better safe than sorry.

I yawn as I start to take in the rest of my room. The desk next to my bed is littered with books, each title printed in a different language. Portuguese, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Welsh; the list goes on. It’s almost comforting, something to keep me occupied in my spare time.

The pajamas in my closet are a set of sweatpants and a tank top, just the way I like them. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I put them there myself. I change quickly and inspect the bathroom at the same time. Nothing too out of the ordinary, apart from the lock on the door. I don’t know if that’ll serve me any purpose, especially because the outer door locks.

“Oh, don’t worry about the lock. That’s just for privacy’s sake for you girls.” I scream and whirl around, afraid that I’ve woken those who are already trying to sleep. “Don’t worry about that, either,” Monokuma giggles, obviously taking delight in my fright. “Did I forget to mention that the dorms are completely soundproof? Perfect for a murder!”

I swear, this bear exists only to put me more on edge than I already am. “Good to know,” I grumble, trudging over to my bed and grabbing one of the books from a pile. “Good night.”

“Aww, dismissed already? I though we would have a super-fun sleepover or something!” I pointedly ignore him until he sighs dejectedly. “Fine. I’ll go bother- er, talk to someone else. Toodle-oo!”

I watch him discreetly over the top of my book as he seems to vanish into thin air. Not a full minute later does the monitor in the corner of my room click on, showing Monokuma in a room I haven’t seen before. Him again? Already? Jeez, how fast does he move? “Attention, students! It is now ten PM. Certain areas will be locked until morning. Despairful dreams!”

I exhale steadily through my nose and put my book back down. Might as well go to bed, I guess. Who knows what we’ll be facing tomorrow. I should be well rested for whatever’s coming our way.

****

**X-X-X**

****

****  


MONOKUMA THEATRE I

“Isn’t it weird how some people are afraid of birds?”

“Sure, they can peck you to death, but they’re harmless!”

“And isn’t it weird how some people are afraid of bears?”

“Sure, we can tear you apart with our claws, but we’re harmless!”

“But it’s not weird at all how some people are afraid of people.”

“They can shoot you, ridicule you, set you on fire, block you, hit you with their car, and a million other things!”

“People are definitely not harmless.”

****

**X-X-X**

By the time I get up, dressed, and to the dining hall, I realize that it must not be “morning” quite yet. The doors won’t open no matter how hard I try to push and pull, and I’m the only one here, besides. I don’t really want to go back to my room to wait, though; instead, I slide down against the door and take a good look around.

There’s a good bit of space between the dining hall and the bath house right across from me. It doesn’t look like it’s open yet, but I know I’ll be in it the moment it is. I haven’t been in one in so long. 

To the left is the connecting hallway to the school building. According to Ikeda, that was where he, Ueda, Hamasaki, and Fujimoto got lost yesterday. To my right is the dorm hall, as well as a side hallway to somewhere. I kind of want to check out where it leads, but I don’t dare do it on my own. 

There’s a click behind me at the same time the monitor nearest me crackles to life. I yelp as I fall onto my back once the doors open behind me. “Good morning, students! It is now seven AM. Get up and enjoy another beautifully murderous day!” 

I’m really starting to despise Monokuma. Seriously. 

I push myself up and dust off my skirt, heading into the kitchen. Just as Matsumoto said, there’s a lot of food in there, more than I expected to see. There’s all different kinds, too, both Japanese and Western. I grab an orange and leave it at that. Most days, I skip breakfast, so I don’t want to upset my stomach with a sudden change. 

Abe and Ueda are the first to walk in. I don’t expect anything less; they seem like the type to be up and ready early like me. They’re both mostly silent as they get their breakfasts and sit down, still working off the lingering exhaustion. Within half an hour, everyone else filters in, the last being Oshiro. No surprise there, though I _am_ surprised that Yasu came in only a minute or so before her. He struck me originally as an early riser, but I guess not. 

There’s a little bit of chatter happening: Yoshida and Oshiro talk about how they slept, Ueda and Maeda talk about their respective sports, Hamasaki and Nakamura talk about the music they like. It’s nice to see everyone getting along. Well, except Abe, apparently. He picks at his breakfast silently. This close to him, I can see the bags already forming beneath his eyes. They’re definitely going to be more pronounced thanks to his fair skin. He must not have slept well last night. Given the situation, I can’t say I blame him. 

“Everyone sleep alright?” Sasaki asks the group, interrupting the smaller conversations. Various people nod, myself included. Others shrug noncommittedly, and others still- namely Matsumoto and Yoshida- yawn instead of answer. 

“It was odd at first,” Ikeda amends, “but the beds are more comfortable than I expected.” 

“I liked my room,” Oshiro adds with a smile. “It reminds me of my room at home, so I was totally comfortable all night!” 

Aoyama chuckles darkly at her remark, drawing our attention. He really likes being the center of it, doesn’t he? “You shouldn’t speak so easily of comfort, Oshiro. Get too comfortable and you could be the first to die.” 

“What is wrong with you?” Hamasaki asks, disgusted. “You can’t just say things like that. You have no right to.” What had first been a warm atmosphere is now as cold as Manitoba in the winter. I would know; I’ve been there in the winter. 

Aoyama shrugs and kicks his chair back on two legs. I’m not surprised that the people around him look like they have the urge to push him over completely. “I’m only telling the truth. I know the rest of you are thinking about it.” 

“That’s not an excuse, man,” Maeda says, barely sparing him a glance. Again the mood shifts: we’re now solidly in awkward and uncomfortable. “We don’t need people saying shit like that.” 

I nod, equally as sickened by his thought process. “Right. There’s no need to think that anything’s going to happen. All we need to do is coexist-” 

“I thought we already established that doubt and suspicion are inevitable,” Abe interrupts from beside me. He doesn’t look up from his bowl, any remaining cereal now soggy and gross. 

“The cryptid speaks,” Yoshida quips dryly. Oshiro is the only one who laughs. 

I’m about to fire back at him, maybe even tell him off in an entirely different language, but Ueda lays a hand on my arm. “Let it go,” she whispers. I avert my gaze down to my nails. Orange peel is stuck under them, staining them a faint yellow-orange. The more he starts pushing against me, the more I want to win him over to my side of the argument. I’ll just have to show him. 

“Anyway,” Fujimoto says, his fingers tapping on the table. “Should we focus on looking around for an exit today? We didn’t really get the chance to yesterday. Who knows, there might be one somewhere we haven’t seen yet.” 

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Sasaki says, looking to the rest of us. “It’s good to know what resources we have available, anyway.” 

We put it to vote; we’re all in favor, though we don’t start until everyone’s finished eating. We splinter into groups of four; I’m with Fujimoto, Saito, and Ikeda. Our assigned area is the hallway I saw earlier just outside the dining hall. There isn’t much there; just a large storeroom. I’m not too impressed by it- it’s very disorganized- but we poke around for a little while anyway, just to make sure we aren’t missing anything. 

There’s all sorts of things here: workout clothes, duffel bags, some pre-packaged snacks and drinks, a few random books, everything it could possibly hold. I can barely see around all of the clutter, stacked high on top of shelves that nearly reach the ceiling. 

“That can’t be safe.” Saito pokes at one of the shelves, which wobbles a little. She stares up at it, her hand absently playing with her necklace and charm again. She studies it for a moment before looking at the contents. 

“No kidding.” I glance over at Fujimoto and Ikeda. Ikeda skirts outside the aisles, looking down them with nonchalance, but Fujimoto winds through them, scouring for something specific. “Fujimoto, what are you looking for?” 

He pokes his head out of one of the aisles, a few down from where I am. “A good notebook. All that was in my room was a pad of paper. How am I going to be able to jot down my ideas if I don’t have a good notebook?” 

Fair enough. I suspect he goes through a lot of notebooks as a songwriter. I start in the opposite direction. “Here, I’ll help. We’ll be able to get through this faster that way.” He gives me a quick, grateful smile before disappearing again. I’m astounded by the pure amount of stuff in here, all shoved together haphazardly. It’s odd to see all of this in a school setting, but given how not-normal this school was even before Monokuma, I guess I can’t really judge. It’s Hope’s Peak Academy, after all. We all knew what we were getting into- for the most part. 

As far as I can tell, there aren’t any notebooks on my end of the room. All I can see are some food items, makeup, and random other items like shampoo and soap. Good to know we’ll have a lot of that, though. 

“Found one!” Fujimoto calls from the other side of the room. His voice reverberates a little, making it sound kind of funny. 

“Good, because there’s nothing like notebooks over here.” I meet him, Saito, and Ikeda at the entrance. We go back to the dining hall to meet the others with our findings, not that they’re of much use. A storeroom isn’t exactly an exit from this damn school. 

As I expect, we’re the first ones back, since the kitchen was cleared yesterday. The storeroom wasn’t anything special, so I don’t doubt that the other groups will take at least a few minutes more. And that’s all well and good, but nobody is talking. I just _had_ to choose the three quietest people to go with. 

I look between the three of them, trying to determine which one of them is the most approachable. Saito is...alright, she’s intimidating, and as much as I want to get to know her, that’s not going to happen right this instant. Fujimoto is already going to town on his new notebook, and I get the feeling that he wouldn’t be too happy with me if I interrupt him. Which, I deduce, leaves Ikeda. 

“What do you think?” I ask him. We’re in the same seats as earlier, putting us directly across from each other. “About this situation, I mean. We never really talked about it.” 

He just kind of shrugs, planting his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands. “I still think it’s a hoax. Nothing’s really pointed to anything Monokuma said is true. No reason to worry ourselves over nothing.” 

Huh. He actually has a pretty good point. If we find an exit, we can leave. Nothing Monokuma said would be true. “It is kind of unbelievable. And does Monokuma really think we’ll take his word as law, just like that?” 

He puts his hands palm-down on the table. “Monokuma can suck my-” 

Sparing me from the rest of that sentence, Oshiro comes skipping in with Maeda, Yoshida, and Matsumoto trailing behind her. “You’re in a good mood,” I note, glad to have someone else to talk to. Maybe that’s bad of me, but it’s a good opportunity to get to know them. “Did you find an exit?” 

“No,” Maeda grumbles as he collapses into his chair. He sends Oshiro an annoyed look. “She’s just always like this, apparently.” 

Oshiro sticks her tongue out at him. “You’re just jealous that I can keep a positive mindset. Matsumoto, too!” She throws an arm around him, which looks awkward given their drastic height difference. The top of her head doesn’t even clear his shoulder. 

“That’s...good?” There certainly are a lot of different personalities here. The thought creeps into my mind that that’s going to make all of us getting along more difficult. But we have to; there’s no way I’m going to let Abe prove me wrong. Not if it’s my job to prove him wrong. 

And speaking of difficult, Abe walks in with Aoyama, Nakamura, and Hamasaki. He doesn’t say anything to me, just sits quietly next to me. Aoyama does the same, though his chair is pulled a little away from the table. Jeez, if he’s so full of himself all the time, it’s a wonder that his blog is so popular. I turn to talk to Hamasaki, but she’s already engrossed in conversation yet again with Fujimoto, probably about the lyrics he’s writing. Now I definitely get why Ueda called them lovebirds earlier. Their personalities mesh perfectly along with their talents. I lowkey expect them to start making out any minute now. 

It only takes a short while for everyone else to get back after that, and with that we can share what we found. Ueda takes charge of the conversation, planting her hands on the table and standing. “Alright, we should go in an orderly fashion. Why don’t we have one person from each group give a report on what they found?” 

Nobody else from my group moves, so I stand. Abe stands before the others from his group can; so does Oshiro. Yasu stands for his group last, after a conversation over glances. Everyone looks to me first, so I clear my throat and start. “The storeroom is big and unorganized. It has just about anything you could think of, but the shelves are stacked so high that they could topple easily, so I would be careful around them.” I shake my head with a sigh. “No exit, unfortunately.” 

“We checked the classrooms,” Abe reports. “Nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary for a school, apart from metal sheets over the windows. The dorms are standard as well. There’s a trash room with an incinerator nearby, but only one person is on trash duty per week and can access it. Also no exit.” Short and concise, as I’ve already begun to expect of him. That was essentially my analysis of them from what I saw yesterday. 

Nakamura raises his hand before the next person goes. “I volunteered for the first week,” he adds. More than a few of us are relieved by this, myself included. 

“The entrance to the building is completely sealed, no way to break it open, and there are guns or something over it anyway. Maybe to keep us from leaving if we do break the door open? And there wasn’t much in the media room. None of the monitors in there are on. Then again, I don’t know computers too well.” Oshiro grins slightly before sitting down again. Definitely less spacey than she was earlier. And, no, that pun will never get old to me. “So, no exit we can actually use.” 

“The nurse’s office is well-stocked. Lots of bandages, medicine, blood transfusion packets, IV bags. A couple of cots, too, even though sleeping anywhere other than the dorms is against the rules.” Yasu shakes his head and sits down. “Everything about our observations points to this being a normal school, just with extensive medical supplies.” 

“On the topic of the nurse’s office, what’ll we do if someone is sick or hurt? There’s no registered nurse here.” Matsumoto raises a fair point with that. We really don’t have a good line of defense if something like that happens. I only know how to clean a small cut. 

Sasaki stands, confident. “I move that Maeda, Ueda and I handle that! I know the properties of medicines well enough to treat illnesses, and as athletes, they should know at least basic first aid and how to treat sports injuries.” 

Maeda and Ueda glance at each other. “Sounds fine to me,” Maeda says after a second passes. 

“Is anyone opposed?” Nobody raises their hands. “It’s decided, then,” Ueda says with a satisfied smile. Sasaki wears one as well as she sits back down. I have to admit, I feel a little more secure knowing that we have that in order. “Did anyone else notice the cameras in every room, and the hallway? That should probably be our next topic-” 

“Who made you the boss?” Aoyama speaks up from his little separated island. “I don’t remember voting on it, and there are certainly people more qualified than you to boss us around.” 

“Oh.” A blush crosses her face, along with an ashamed look. “I’m sorry, it’s just that nobody else-” 

Aoyama snorts, cutting her off. “You didn’t give anyone a chance to. You just assumed control. A figure skater isn’t really the ideal leader type.” 

Slowly, stricken, Ueda sinks down in her seat. Muted anger bubbles up in my stomach. “Hey, don’t do that! You wouldn’t want to be singled out on your talent if it didn’t have anything to do with the conversation,” I snap. There’s no need for him to be nasty, and I’m not going to stand for it. “For the record, Ueda is right. We were all here, and it was obvious that nobody else was going to suggest anything.” I take a breath, calming myself down. “Anyway. Let’s put it to vote now. All those in favor of Ueda leading us, at least for the time being?” My hand, of course, goes up, as does Ueda’s. After a couple beats pass, Yasu, Sasaki, Fujimoto, Nakamura, Yoshida, Ikeda, Hamasaki, Oshiro, and Matsumoto raise theirs. That’s the majority. 

Aoyama must be feeling particularly difficult about being defeated, because he calls out, “All opposed?” His hand shoots up, and he looks around expectantly. More reluctantly go Abe, Saito, Rikimaru, and Maeda. Five out of sixteen, a third if we don’t count Ueda’s vote for herself. The majority is a clear advantage, but still… 

“That’s that,” Yoshida says with a sly grin. “Ueda is our de facto leader. Sucks to suck!” 

Aoyama looks a bit like he’s about to pop, thanks to Yoshida’s comment. He probably didn’t see this coming. “If that’s what the majority wants, but if you want my opinion, you’re all making a mistake.” He leans back in his chair, any and all irritation replaced with smooth arrogance. It registers in the back of my mind that his face is very punchable. How can he be so stuck up? The bloggers I follow aren’t like this. 

“Fine,” Ueda says, standing again. She’s more confident now, and flashes me a small smile. “How about we have lunch, since we just spent a lot of time exploring the school? We can talk more after that.” 

“I can help make lunch,” Matsumoto offers. He must not have minded helping yesterday if he wants to again. “There should still be three of us, right?” 

“I can go, too.” I’m decent enough in the kitchen, so I may as well offer. It’s not a big deal, really. 

Abe stands with the two of us wordlessly and comes into the kitchen. Of all the people here, he’s definitely one I would expect to vote against Ueda. I’m not quite sure that volunteering for kitchen duty is within his wheelhouse. 

For the most part, I’m right. Matsumoto and I heat up some food and make some sandwiches while he gets out plates, napkins, and forks. Beyond that, he just stands there and watches us work with serious eyes. “Something wrong?” I ask, shuttling a third meal into the microwave. Between these and the sandwiches, we’ll be fed easily. 

Matsumoto responds before Abe even opens his mouth. “He’s keeping tabs on all of us. He bought the whole killing game thing, and now he’s suspicious.” He smiles gently, knowingly, over at him. “Am I right?” 

Abe’s eyes widen a touch, just barely betraying his surprise. I’m actually surprised that he is. “How did you-” 

“I’m good at reading people. Comes with the carpenter job, believe it or not. You get to know people well.” He shrugs, done with his explanation. I admit, it seems a little odd, but I guess anything is possible with Hope’s Peak students. 

“It’s not that I’m suspicious of possible killers,” Abe finally says. He leans against the counter with crossed arms and sharp eyes. “I’m trying to determine which one of us is the one controlling all of this. You know- the mastermind.” 

The thought never crossed my mind, but as soon as he says it, it makes sense. Of course someone’s controlling this whole mess. People don’t get locked in a prestigious school for no reason. Stuffed bears don’t come to life unless their movements are carefully programmed or controlled. “Are we sure it’s not an outside entity?” I ask uncertainly. I’m not sure I want to, or even can, believe that one of our classmates organized all of this. 

“Absolutely certain.” He doesn’t offer more, but his tone is entirely earnest. I can’t help but believe him. Am I too trusting of his word? Is this what he was talking about with trust? 

The microwave chimes again with the last bit of food. Matsumoto and I take care of that and the sandwiches, leaving Abe to take care of the rest. The subject drops as soon as we leave the kitchen, though I know it’ll have to be brought up again in the future. He doesn’t bring it up at all during lunch. 

The rest of the day passes somewhat easily. Easier than can be expected, at least. Mostly, we all hang around the dining hall and talk about whatever comes to mind. Abe stays silent for the most part, his blue eyes calculating as they slide between each of us. His words ring in my mind. 

One of us… 

“Ishikawa, may I talk to you?” Ueda asks softly, dragging me out of my thoughts. Her gaze isn’t urgent, and her smile is easy. Nothing bad, I suppose, unless she’s hiding it from the others. We break apart from the group, moving to the corner near the door. “I want to thank you for earlier. You didn’t have to stick up for me in front of everyone.” 

I did. I couldn’t stand by and leave her on her own. That’s not who I am. “It’s no problem. That’s what friends do, right?” 

Her smile widens at my words, absolutely beaming. “I know I can be a bit bossy sometimes, but I really am grateful for your help. I just want to help everyone get along, you know?” 

I do know. It’s then that I officially decide that Ueda is a good person, not that I didn’t already know. I can see the two of us becoming really good friends. “Well, just remember that I have your back on this. We need to keep the peace here.” 

She takes my hand and gives it a quick squeeze before letting go. “Thank you so much, Ishikawa. I owe you one.” 

By the time we get back to the table, there’s already a whole new discussion going on. “You have to admit, it’s strange. There’s no way it’s just a coincidence,” Rikimaru says in her obnoxiously shrill voice. If we’re going to be living together, I’m going to need ear plugs. I should check the storeroom sometime soon. 

“What is?” Ueda asks, looking down the table at her as we settle back into our seats. 

“The fact that Monokuma hasn’t shown his ugly face again,” Maeda says with a too-big smile. I think he’s overconfident about this, whatever it is. “I told you it was all a joke. I was right.” 

Nakamura frowns, and I look away from him. He’s too pretty to be real. It nearly hurts my eyes, as strange as that is. “Given Monokuma’s existence, along with the fact that we’re all still locked here, I highly doubt that’s the case.” 

“Nakamura is right. While we don’t have much reason to believe that we have to kill each other, we have even less reason to believe the opposite is true.” Saito quiets almost as soon as she starts talking, but not without making sweeping eye contact with everyone around the table. She’s right, too, in one of the most sound ways I’ve ever seen. I don’t even think Abe or Aoyama would be able to argue against that. 

“True, true!” Yoshida lets out a string of curses as Monokuma pops up right behind her. He scares her so badly that she almost falls out of her chair. “I haven’t made this real enough yet, have I? That’s always the first issue! Okay, then, challenge accepted!” 

Hamasaki laughs nervously, trying to inch away from him. “Sorry, what?” 

Monokuma’s red eye seems to glow wickedly. “I mean, you’ve forced my paw! Tomorrow, you will be handed your first motive. That’ll stick it to ya! Lazy bastards, can’t even start a killing game properly. Oh, how times have changed!” 

Abe’s eyes harden just a touch- not that I’m looking. “You’re delusional if you think that nobody is going to come for us. We have family-” 

“_Do_ you now? Then why haven’t they already come?” Abe says nothing, though he looks irritated beyond belief. He’s not even trying to hide it. “That’s what I thought. Good luck gettin’ outta here without playing, chumps! Upupupu!” 

Once again, Monokuma disappears, even with all of our eyes trained on him. It’s fantastic, the way he moves around, in the most literal sense of the word. Abe glares openly at the spot where he vanished. “What I wouldn’t give to grind that bear into the ground,” he mutters, just loud enough for us to hear him. 

Sasaki raises her glass of water. Her face is pinched as though she just ate an entire lemon. “Here, here.” 

Aoyama smirks, self-satisfied. “What did I tell you? Challenge the killing game, and it comes back harder. You all did this to yourselves." 

I’m not a violent person, but I really, really want to punch him. “Joke’s on you, because we won’t let anything happen!” Ueda declares. She sounds confident, but her hands shake beneath the table. I’m the only one who notices. “We don’t have to take any motive Monokuma gives us. We can stick together through this, fight back against him. 

“I like that idea,” Yasu says with a soft smile. He yawns, rolling his shoulders back. “Anyone know what time it is, though?” 

Now that he brought it up, I realize that the only clock in the room is broken, frozen at the time 11:37, strangely enough. Our e-Handbooks don’t have the time on them, either, which is dumb. Fujimoto raises his wrist, showing us his watch. “Eight thirty-six. We still have a couple hours until nighttime.” 

“That long?” Oshiro yawns as well, more drawn-out and dramatic than Yasu’s. That seems to be the kind of person she is. “I might just go to bed now!” 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Ikeda says with a shrug. “It’s been a long day of looking around, and I’m sure the threat of the motive is weighing on everyone’s minds. It wouldn’t hurt to get a little extra sleep tonight.” 

I’ll admit, the motive does have me worried. I don’t have a clue what it could be, or how everyone will react to it. I wish I knew more about everyone here, so I can be even more certain that nobody could possibly take it. Turning in early will give me the chance to toss and turn and still get a regular amount of sleep- that’s how it works, right? “I wouldn’t mind that.” 

Without much argument, we’re all in consensus. We’re all tired enough with the mental load of all of this to give in pretty easily to our tired bodies. We bid each other goodnight and go into our rooms, locking our doors soundly behind us. 

I shower first, the warm water running over me, washing away the suds in my hair and on my skin. Showering before bed always feels nice, washing away today’s madness. It momentarily helps relieve my nerves. I’m not sure I’m ready to face whatever Monokuma has in store for us in the morning. 

Instead of blow-drying, I towel-dry my hair and slip into a fresh pair of pajamas, identical to the ones I wore last night. It didn’t really cross my mind before, how I have multiple of the exact same outfit and pajamas in my closet. At least we have extra clothes, I guess. It’d be kind of gross to wear one outfit a few days in a row. 

The nighttime announcement hasn’t played by the time I finish. I don’t really want to sleep yet, despite what I said earlier, so instead I pick a book from one of my stacks- ooh, this one is in French!- and start reading. 

French kinda takes me back; it was the fourth language I learned, after Spanish, Japanese, and English. I was six, freshly moved to France. We moved around a lot back then. Being home is rare, but being here now...well, I guess it’s too early to pass judgement. It might still turn into a good thing. 

What feels like only a few minutes later, but really half a book later, Monokuma’s announcement plays, startling me out of my story. Right at the good part, too… 

Mmm, I guess one more chapter wouldn’t hurt... 

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE II 

“See, there’s something about intimate touches that people crave.” 

“The gentle caress of a cheek…" 

“A light brush of the hands…” 

“A nice, comforting squeeze of the neck…” 

“Yep, intimacy sure is the best!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, chapters will start getting longer, at least this length each time. I'm excited to build the plot and my characters more, and know that I already have just after the second motive written, so it could be a while in between chapters so I can give myself time to write more. Don't forget to comment or vote on who you want to have a Free Time Event this chapter, since I only have two votes so far...
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!


	3. Chapter 1 Part II

I'm nowhere near the first one in the dining hall today. Actually, I'm fairly certain that I'm one of the last, except for Oshiro. Maybe staying up to read more wasn't the best idea after all. I feel kind of like a slug moving through peanut butter. Hell, that lame comparison alone shows how tired I really am, if I can't come up with a better one.

Ueda twists in her seat, her shoulders relaxing when she sees me walk in. "Oh, good, you're alright! I got a little worried there."

I collapse into my seat next to her and Abe with a yawn. "Stayed up too late," I say, rubbing my eyes again. They're gonna be blurry for the rest of the day, I swear. I blink, clearly seeing everyone looking at me. "What?"

"Could you repeat that? In Japanese?" Sasaki asks in confusion.

But now I'm the more confused one. "Japanese? Was I-" I catch myself, finally hearing what I'm saying. I take a moment to collect my thoughts before speaking in Japanese. "Sorry, I was up late reading a book in French, and sometimes I just- never mind. Did I miss anything?"

Hamasaki makes a face, pulling apart a piece of toast. "Well, Monokuma hasn't called us for the motive yet. Here's hoping he doesn't."

"But you know he will." I steal a glare at Aoyama as I take an orange from the bowl of fruit someone put in the center of the table. I'm starting to really hate his smugness. Nothing's even happened yet! There shouldn't be anything for him to be smug about. "Once we're all here, he will."

I sigh and tune out the splintered conversations that follow. Say something like that, and it prompts everyone to be a skeptic. Of all the things I want to deal with today, skepticism and the motive are not any of those things. I'm not at the mental capacity I'm usually at, but at least I'm not a literal zombie on my feet. Not like Oshiro when she staggers in about five minutes later. Almost makes me wish we had coffee.

Next to me, Ueda fidgets restlessly, her plate empty. Her position shifts every few seconds, her fingers tap the table, her leg bounces up and down. "Everything okay?" I ask, mildly concerned. As far as I know- which, admittedly, is not much- she's not usually this jumpy.

"Fine," she says, adjusting her glasses so they're more even on her face. In the same motion, she brushes her hair behind her shoulders. "By now I'm usually out on the ice. If I don't keep up with my routine, there's no way I'll improve." She pauses and glances away, a light blush rising in her cheeks. "Sorry, you probably don't care."

Actually, I do. Getting to know my classmates is my goal, so of course I care. "If we get the chance, I'd love to see you skate."

A smile spreads on her lips, which makes me smile despite my exhaustion. "I'd love to show you, Ishikawa."

Huh. It still feels a bit weird to be referred to like that. I've been in other countries so often that I nearly forgot that we're supposed to use last names until we're really close.

Oshiro and the slower eaters just barely finish breakfast when the monitor on the wall crackles to life. Static fades to show Monokuma sitting with a glass of champagne, as he does for the morning and nighttime announcements. "Now that you're all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, march on down to the gym so I can show ya what's what! Oh, and before you think of not showing up, this meeting is mandatory! Skipping is against the rules! And we all know what happens to rule breakers." On that threatening note, the monitor shuts off again.

For just a moment, none of us moves. Even though we all expected this, we're all frozen- all of us except for Abe, who stands and walks out of the room without a word. I never expected him to be the most compliant of us, not with his talk of the mastermind and backtalk to Monokuma. Already he's finding more ways to surprise me.

"Should we follow him?" Yoshida asks, looking to the rest of us to make the decision.

"I guess, if we don't want to be executed for not going." Nakamura sighs, standing as well. Rikimaru stands almost as quickly as he does. I know Nakamura looks nice, but at least the other girls keep themselves in check around him, myself included. Or, at least, we wait a little longer to stand and walk out.

Ueda and I head up the back of our little group. Despite her being our leader, she hasn't said a single thing about the motive. Instead, she looks ahead with a laugh. "Hey, want to start a betting pool on how long it takes the lovebirds to actually get together?"

I peek over at them. Hamasaki leans over Fujimoto's shoulder, pointing to a line in his notebook with a giant smile. No doubt they're already thinking of composing a song together. "Maybe later. Right now, we have a demonic bear to deal with."

She nods in understanding, though I can't help but notice her slight disappointment. We're not that far from the gym anyway, and by the time we do get there, he's not waiting for us. If the situation weren't strange enough, I could almost trick myself into thinking that he doesn't exist.

"Why does he need to make a dramatic entrance all the time?" Rikimaru whines, her foot tapping sharply against the ground. "Some of us have things to do." What those things could possibly be, I have no idea. None of us did much of anything yesterday after looking around.

"I'd almost rather he never come," Fujimoto says with a shake of his head. His notebook is closed now, clutched tightly in his hands. I get the feeling that that's a regular occurrence. "No motive, nothing to worry about. Right?"

Abe shakes his head slowly, eyeing the stage. "It's not going to be that easy. I just know it."

As if on cue, Monokuma pops up on the stage just like he did two days ago. Hard to believe it's already been that long. "Right again! Jeez, Blue, you sure do know a lot." His tone is so obviously mocking, but Abe's hand goes almost instinctively to his blue hair. I catch myself just before I snicker at the comment. Yoshida is not so lucky, and actually does laugh, before trying to play it off as a coughing fit. Which sets Oshiro off giggling, and Rikimari, Hamasaki, and Maeda, and especially Aoyama. Abe's cheeks color an angry pink, and he turns his head away, his hair falling in a partial curtain around his face.

"Anywho, you all know why you're here," Monokuma says once the laughter dies down. I feel a bit bad for Abe, but I do think he needs to lighten up a little. "Y'all've been getting along too well. Nobody's going to be getting out of here if you don't kill each other! Like, ever! So, here's a little incentive to get the shot put ball rolling, so to speak."

For some reason, my stomach flips when he says that. He presses a button on the podium, out of our view, and in seconds, bunches of something fall down in near perfect stacks. Ueda's jaw drops. "Is that...money?"

Monokuma's wicked grin widens. "As you may have guessed, this here is ten billion yen! Mere high schoolers could not even comprehend how sweet this offer is!"

Saito blinks and tilts her head to the side. Her cool, calm, and collected attitude is certainly refreshing. "Why offer it, then?"

His red-tinted gaze focuses on her. They seem to have some kind of staring contest while the rest of us remain silent. It takes a good minute before he looks away first. Saito smirks and crosses her arms, victorious. "...Anyway. This dough is reserved only for the first person to kill!"

There is literally no way he's serious. There's no possible explanation for how he could have this much money, either. Yasu laughs nervously. "I don't think money is enough cause to kill another person."

Monokuma laughs hysterically, his paws holding his stomach. "Haven't you heard of mercenaries? Hitmen? Assassins? All people who prove that people can kill solely for the benefit of monetary gain."

"No, that's not right." Abe clears his throat, recovered from the little stint earlier. "Historically speaking, there was much more than money driving those people to kill, such as political gain, or-"

"That doesn't matter!" He shakes his fists- paws- whatever at us, baring his fangs. My heart nearly leaps into my throat despite telling myself that I'm not scared of him. I swallow hard. "This is your motive to kill, take it or leave it! And, as I know, one of you will take it! Jeez, you guys are so annoying with all your nobody-will-murder-anyone bull! I'd have half a mind to kill all of you myself, but where's the fun in that?"

"There is literally no fun in any of this!" Rikimaru protests, visibly upset. Her face is all pinched up. "You're a sick, sick bear."

His gaze sweeps over to her, but she doesn't flinch under it. "Many people are. You just can't see it until they're tempted. Just you wait, you'll see in due time." He laughs, piercing the air. Why is it so high-pitched? So obnoxious.

Abe mutters something under his breath that's indistinguishable. I glance over, but he shakes his head almost imperceptibly. I didn't even know he knew I noticed. He's more perceptive than I realized.

Aoyama looks around at us, scattered across the gym, and shrugs. "He's right. Anyone's bad sides could come out at any time." His eyes shift pointedly between us. "Oshiro. Ikeda. Sasaki." His stare bores right through me. "Ishikawa."

Nakamura steps in before any of us can say anything. "Casting suspicion this early only makes us distrust each other even more. Aoyama, you should know better than that."

"Besides, your bad side's been on display this whole time. You're not one to talk," Yoshida adds. I mean, she's not wrong, but she shouldn't say it. That loud. In front of him.

He shrugs coolly, seemingly unbothered. I can basically guarantee that if he was able, he would rant about her jab on his blog as soon as he could. "I wouldn't have as many followers as I do if I'm as bad as you think I am, would I?"

Admittedly, that's a fairly good argument. He's better than I expected, at least in this setting. If something caught him by surprise, it could be a completely different story. I know his type.

"I think we have a problem," Abe interrupts, jerking his chin over to the stage. We all look over, and I blink in momentary shock. Monokuma is already gone. He must've slipped away while Aoyama was spewing bull. "Well, Ueda? What should we do now?"

She forces herself to smile brightly. This close to her, I can tell that it's fake, fragile. "We carry on. No reason for this motive to tempt us, right? We can continue living together in here."

Matsumoto regards her and the money before speaking. "That's a lot of money, though. How are we going to make sure nobody wants it bad enough?"

"We just have to trust each other. I'm sure none of us would want blood on our hands just for some money." Her fingers tug at the hem of her skirt, betraying her uncertainty at her own words.

Rikimaru throws her hands up and rolls her eyes. "Back to doing nothing, then. I'll be in my room if you need me." Her heels click harshly as she leaves, disappearing around the corner. Wasn't she just saying that she had things to do?

Her departure is the catalyst that spurs everyone else to life once more. Everyone leaves in small groups, each keeping a wary eye on the others. Ueda touches my arm lightly. "I'm going to check out the nurse's office for myself. I'll be there if you need anything." I nod, partially numb to everyone else leaving. Abe is the last to go before me.

I don't want to stay in the gym, not if Monokuma could show up again at any moment. Being my cool, collected self, I decide in a split second to run after Abe, slowing my pace to his once I catch up. "Can I help you?" He doesn't even look at me, but his tone is expectant. I can't exactly pretend I didn't notice him there. Time to let my mouth do the work for me.

...Ugh. Poor word choice.

"You're a historian, right?" I internally wince at how awkward I sound. Just what I need.

His expression doesn't shift an inch. "That's how I introduced myself, yes."

Jeez, I should've led with something else. Of course he is. Now I probably sound like an idiot. "What made you interested in history? Did you just like the class?"

He's quiet for a minute, thinking. "I guess you could say that. I always scored high on history exams."

"So your interest stemmed from there?" Another curse: once my curious side starts, it doesn't stop.

"After school, I started spending time researching the history of Japan and other nations. They're interesting enough to spend my time on." He shrugs, like that's that, but there's no way it can be that simple.

After a little deliberation on my end about his word choice- something I excel at as a linguist- I pick up on something. "You sound like you don't like your talent that much."

More silence follows. We're approaching the dorm area now. My window of opportunity for getting to know him is waning. "My sisters encouraged me to pursue my interests. History is really the only thing that holds my interest."

That doesn't answer my question, but we're right outside his door, so I let it go for now. "Well, like I said before, if you ever need help with a translation or anything, you know who to come to!"

"Right. I'll keep that in mind." By the way he closes the door on me right after, I suspect he isn't completely sincere like I am. Whatever. I let out a huff and wander down the hall, not bothering to stop in my own room. There's no reason for me to.

The door to the nurse's office is ajar as I pass. Ueda's in there, I remember, and I debate hanging out with her for a while. I do want to get to know our other classmates better, too. I feel like that takes slight precedence over comfort for the time being. I can always hang out with her later.

"Ishikawa!" Sasaki pokes her head out of the media room as I walk by. "Would you mind helping me out with something?"

"Sure, I'll help." I follow her inside, watching her braid bounce against her back. ...Wait. The motive was just announced. This isn't for anything bad, right? "Er, what is it, exactly?"

She stops by one of the many monitors. "I know Oshrio said that none of these work, but is it possible that they just need to be rebooted? Like unplugging and then plugging them back in? I just wanted some help with that, is all."

That's all? What a relief. "No problem." I start going down the opposite row, unplugging, plugging, and trying to turn on each monitor. It takes a while longer than I expected. "So you're an herbalist? That's pretty cool."

She plugs in and turns on another monitor. "Yeah! My dad had an herb garden when I was younger. I more or less commandeered it by the time I was ten." She laughs, a light sound. "Luckily, he didn't mind much."

I move to the next monitor with a laugh of my own. "Is the upkeep hard?"

"It depends on what the plants are. Some need more care than others." She pauses. When I glance back, her eyebrows are knit together. "Hopefully he and Mom still remember how to care for them. I don't remember if I left instructions." A moment passes, and she shakes the worry off of her face before unplugging the next monitor. "We'll be out of here before much damage can be done to them."

Her statement makes me stop cold. Will we be out soon? Surely there's an exit we just haven't found yet. There has to be. "You think we'll be out before anything bad happens?"

She hums under her breath. "I'm cautiously optimistic. I can't help but want to protect everyone from Monokuma, but that's easier said than done, isn't it?" She reaches the end of her half of the room, a little faster than me. "Nothing works here. You?"

"Nothing." Her words are food for thought, though. Easier said than done indeed.

"Too bad. Thanks for the help, though. It would've taken me so much longer on my own." The smile she flashes me can only be described in one way: sunny. Fitting.

"Always happy to help." She branches off from me, turning towards the storeroom while I go back towards the dorms. I'm already starting to feel exhaustion from this morning, though I still have time to do whatever I want. I'm still in a socializing mood, too. I wonder if anyone else is out, or-

One of the dorms opens right as I pass by. Perfect timing, I suppose. Yasu steps out, staring down at his e-Handbook with a slight frown. He mutters something under his breath that I can't quite make out before realizing that I'm standing in front of him. "Oh! Hey, how are you?"

Yasu has that kind of smile that's infectious. I can't help but let my lips tilt into one. "Fine, thanks. Still trying to process everything, you know?"

He nods in understanding. Surely, we all are. "It's a bit much, definitely. I like Ueda's plan of living in peace for sure. It shouldn't be hard if we get to know each other, right?"

"My thoughts exactly." Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. "Hey, do you want to get some tea in the kitchen? I don't think I've had anything to drink today, come to think of it." Better late than never, though.

He brightens, even more than he already is. Any brighter, and he might blind everyone. "Sounds good!"

The dining hall isn't terribly far from the dorms, but I don't want to walk it in silence. "If you don't mind my asking… What pronouns are you using right now? I don't want to use the wrong ones." I know he told us the other day, but I don't know if they changed recently. It couldn't hurt to ask, at least.

Yasu nods, like my question is expected. "Right now, they're still _he_ and _him_. I'm usually good about letting everyone know my pronouns at any given time. That was nice of you to ask, though!"

Even though I saw Sasaki come this way earlier, she's not in the dining hall or kitchen when we walk in. "Any preference?" I ask, putting a kettle of water on to boil.

"Anything relaxing. That'll make it easier to sleep." He leans back against the counter opposite me.

I glance up from the selection of teas, most individually wrapped. "Hard time falling asleep?"

He tilts a hand back and forth in a seesaw motion. "Something like that. I don't really know. Tea always helped at home, so I figure it'll work here." Solid enough logic, I guess. "Hey, what's it like, being the Super High-School Level Linguist?"

"It's pretty cool, I think! I get to know so many languages and go to so many places." Traveling has always been one of my favorite parts of getting to know a new language. "Jet lag was bad sometimes, though."

Yasu peers over at me with curiosity in his eyes. "I've never been on a plane before, is it fun?"

I study his face for a second before responding. Most of the people I know have been on a plane at least once in their lives. "You aren't missing out on much. I usually sleep during the ride. A lot of people do." I always like it better when my parents and I can travel by train. At least then there's something to look at. "Don't travel much?"

"Not really?" His expression turns a bit sheepish, guarded. He watches me as I pour the hot water into our cups with the tea bags. I'm used to this kind especially, with the strings attached to them. I pull mine up and let it bob back down a couple times, watching color diffuse into the water. "I almost envy that you do. I want to be able to see the world one day." His expression shifts to an odd mix of dreamy and dreary. It looks like he's staring off into space, his hands gingerly cupped around his tea.

I blow on my own cup, watching the steam curl off of the surface like fog on a lake. "Do you like being the Super High-School Level Friend?"

That pulls his attention back to the here and now. "I do. It's not that much of a talent; I've just always been good at socializing and making friends. It's not hard for me to do. Even now, like you and Sasaki and Yoshida, you're all friends of mine already. The others will be my friends, too. I just need to get to know them better."

Makes sense to me, and proves my method of getting to know everyone valid. "I don't doubt you'll be able to. You're probably the nicest, friendliest person I know."

He laughs a little and chances a sip of his tea, still steaming. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, I appreciate it."

It takes us a long time to actually finish our tea, between it cooling and our conversation. We barely finish by the time everyone starts filing in to get something for dinner. Yoshida, Fujimoto, and Matsumoto volunteer to make dinner, leaving the rest of us in the dining hall. The rule of threes is even more important now that the motive has been introduced. More than a few suspicious glances are tossed around, mostly by Maeda and Rikimaru, and mostly towards Aoyama. All I'll say is that I won't be the one to stop a fight if it breaks out between them.

Despite the tea, I feel myself tense up, matching the atmosphere of the room. Abe keeps his eyes moving, not looking at any one person for more than a handful of seconds. Ueda looks like she wants to say anything, but doesn't. Her gaze flits around; her feet shuffle under her seat. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's visualizing one of her routines. I wonder just how much of a factor her not being on ice is with her stress.

"Find anything else in the nurse's office?" I ask her after hushed conversations start up, rippling down the table.

"Nothing that wasn't discussed before." She doesn't look at me as she talks. Her hair blocks her face from my view. "Um. Can I talk to you later? After everyone's gone?"

Warning bells play in my mind against my will. I know Ueda; I trust her. But acting off, so soon after the motive, throws me off my game. She's my friend, even though I haven't known her long. If I say yes, I'm quite literally trusting her with my life. "Sure. I trust you."

Fujimoto taps the table in some kind of rhythm. "Are we going to come up with a plan of action at all? Are we just going to keep doing what we're doing?"

I hoped we wouldn't have this conversation. I'm at a loss for what to do. Ueda doesn't look too confident, either. "Maybe we should keep doing what we're doing? Ignoring the motive might help, but I don't think we can fully pretend it doesn't exist."

"That's assuming nobody takes the motive," Maeda points out. "What will we do if that happens?"

"If that happens, then we'll have a corpse on our hands." Saito shakes her head. "Better to take precautions now."

Right. The more vigilant we are, the less likely it is that something will happen. Still, though, I wonder if that'll be enough.

"There's no way to fully protect ourselves. There will always be a bit of this that relies on trust." Abe doesn't shrink back under our collective stare. "No matter what, that small bit of trust is fundamental."

I could so _easily_ call him out on his hypocrisy, but Yoshida beats me to it. "This, coming from Mr. Trust-Is-For-Weenies?"

Something indistinguishable flashes across his face at her wording, but it's gone in a split second. "I still stand by that trusting each other is dangerous, given the situation and short time we've known each other. However, it's more dangerous to not trust that nobody is going to try anything." Oddly enough, if I think about it, his thought process makes some sense.

"So we can only protect everyone if they protect themselves," Matsumoto sums up. "Makes sense, I suppose."

"I'm just waiting to see how this will play out. After all, we're all in a position where money is an asset. That's just how the world is." Aoyama tilts his head up slightly once he has our attention. It occurs to me that he knows exactly what he's doing. "I'll be the first to admit that I could use that kind of money."

That single comment sends us all into a flurry. He must've known that it would. "Why say anything? Now all the suspicion will be on you if someone takes the motive," Rikimaru accuses. At least, her tone is accusatory. I don't know what she would be accusing him of, exactly. Taking the fall if someone did?

He doesn't respond. In fact, his expression doesn't shift at all as he gets up and walks out.

Yasu looks after him with sad eyes, but doesn't move to go after him. "He wasn't serious, was he?"

"All he's doing is trying to provoke us," Nakamura says, a relaxed frown on his lips. "If he makes us think that he'll take the motive, someone who wants it more could easily find an opening to take it."

Ueda sighs heavily, running a hand through her hair. "Let's just be hypervigilant, alright? That's all we can really do."

That really is all we can do, isn't it? I'm not the type to just stand idly by and let something like this happen, but there isn't anything I can actively do differently. This sucks!

A good minute of pregnant silence passes before Yasu stands, looking queasy. "I'm going to go back to my room. I don't feel good." He doesn't wait for us to say anything before he stumbles out of the dining hall. Sasaki gets up and leaves after him, muttering something under her breath. I look after them, praying that they're both alright.

"This wasn't poisoned, was it?" Ikeda pokes at his food skeptically.

"No chance," Abe tells him calmly. "Three people prepared it. I have no doubt they were watching each other carefully- or that any of us would've had a reaction to it by now if it was."

Matsumoto nods. "None of us would have method to poison, either."

"Yeah, not like our rooms are stocked with much of anything, just the bare minimum." Yoshida only looks up from her food once all of our eyes are on her. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"You don't have anything in your room?" Oshiro asks, summing up what I'm sure everyone is thinking. "No personal touch?"

She shakes her head slowly. "Are you saying you all do?" We all nod; I think back to my stacks of books. She forces a wry smile. "Well. That's just my luck, isn't it? To be the only one without personal items…" Her hand goes up, presumably subconsciously, and tugs on one of her pigtails. Abruptly, she stands. "I'm going to… I don't know. Shower or something."

She leaves without another word. Soon enough, everyone goes back to their rooms, leaving me, Ueda, and Matsumoto to clean up. "You can go if you want," Ueda tells him as she brings a large trash bin over. "You helped make everything, the least we can do is clean up." I see what she's doing: trying to get him out so the two of us can talk.

He looks between us for a second before a knowing look crosses his face. His intuition is coming in handy again. "If you're sure. Have a good night." He puts the last bits of what he was holding in the trash and leaves, finally leaving us alone.

Ueda stays silent but busy for another minute, maybe ensuring that he's gone. Once she's certain, she sets down the paper plates and leans heavily on the table. Her shoulders shake violently. "Ueda?"

"I can't do this." It comes out as a whisper. Thanks to her hair, I can't see her eyes behind her glasses. "The killing game is going to start, and we can do nothing to stop it." Suddenly, her head jerks up, fearful tears brimming in her eyes. "Ishikawa...I'm terrified."

I'm struck. Quite honestly, I have no idea what to do. What is someone supposed to do when a friend is having an emotional meltdown because of a killing game?

Not to mention, I didn't think I'd ever see Ueda like..._this_. Devoid of confidence, crumbling like pastry dough. I could soothe her in any language, but words alone will do nothing. That leaves only one language.

I approach until I'm standing right in front of her. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tightly. She buries her head between my neck and shoulder, her tears staining my shirt. As tight as I'm holding her, she holds me tighter, still trembling, almost desperate. I am her grounding force, keeping her from panicking even more. Slowly, her heart rate drops back to normal, matching my steady beat. I rub her back gently, resting my chin on her shoulder- something I wouldn't be able to do if she weren't hunched over. I hold her close until she lets go, wiping her eyes under her glasses. One of her hands remains in mine. I give it a squeeze.

"We'll be fine." Her words are more to convince herself than for my benefit. "We'll be fine." I nod along as she repeats it, again and again, until her eyes are dry and she's no longer trembling. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Ishikawa." Her voice is still thick, catching on her words.

"Don't apologize." It takes a second for me to register that my thumb is rubbing the back of her hand. It's very soothing. "And. I'd prefer it if you called me Camila."

She blinks, the tiniest of smiles ghosting her lips. "Camila?"

"I mean, I figure that we're close enough, and I'm used to it, and-"

She cuts me off. "Call me Miyuki, then." Her gaze breaks off of me momentarily, glancing at the broken clock. It's likely later than either of us realizes. The dining hall will probably close soon. "We should finish up in here...Camila."

I can't help my grin. My name sounds sweet when she says it. Personal. "Yeah, Miyuki. Better finish before we're locked in here all night."

We make pretty quick work of the rest of the trash, chatting lightly about anything we can think of. Nothing serious. Once we're done, we walk to the dorms together and say goodnight right outside our rooms.

I shower, get my pajamas on, and get ready for bed by the time the nighttime announcement plays. The entire time, only one thought is in my mind.

If it's with Miyuki, being locked in the dining hall wouldn't be so bad.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE III

"Have you ever thought about how odd names are?"

"It's a series of random sounds particular to you, just so you respond when your parents need you for something."

"Yeah, some have meanings, but the purpose is everything!"

"The strangeness of names coupled with the perceived significance they hold…"

"Kinda weird to think about, isn't it?"

**X-X-X**

I'm not as groggy this morning as yesterday. In fact, I'm one of the first couple to the dining hall again. Abe and Saito are both there, too, already eating. Already I'm starting to expect the order of everyone as they come in.

As expected, Miyuki rolls in fairly early, looking as confident as ever, even as a yawn splits her face. "Feeling better?" I whisper, offering her a section of my orange. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

She accepts it, sucking the juice from it before it runs down her fingers. "Much, thanks to you. I really needed that."

I could tell she did. It's only been a handful of days, but already the stress is starting to get to all of us. The more suspicion is grown, the more stress, and so on and so forth. It's a gruesome and tiring cycle already.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure all of us breathe a sigh of relief when Oshiro, the last of us, comes in and sits down. Nobody is dead. Just for now, I can rest easy, but that doesn't mean I can let my guard down.

"So…" Hamasaki stretches her arms out in front of her before pulling them back in. "We're all here. That's good, isn't it?"

I wait for Aoyama to make some smug comment. He doesn't. So either I misjudged his character, or this conversation is below him. "Nobody's taken the motive yet- key word being yet," Abe says. His tone is strange, full of complexities I can't place. There are too many to pick out specifics. "I'm still not convinced that nobody is going to come for us. This is, what, the fourth day we've been gone? Surely someone would've noticed by now." For the fraction of a second, one thing stands out about him: worry. He's doubtful, afraid that nobody's coming, that his sisters haven't noticed he's gone. It's funny; I've already mostly accepted that, but I know my parents would fight tooth and nail to find me. I should have more faith in them. There's a quick mumbled consensus before he continues. "Which brings me to my next topic: who forced us here?"

Instantly, I know what he's talking about. Is now the right time to breach the topic? "You mean Monokuma?" Ikeda asks uncertainly.

"I mean whoever is controlling Monokuma. One might call them the mastermind behind- this." He makes a broad gesture with his hands.

"I'm not sure I get what you're talking about." Maeda's easygoing smile slips off of his face, replaced with a worried scowl.

Rikimaru barks out a quick laugh, like a dog whistle. "He's right, though. Surely someone's controlling that dumb bear. No way it's sentient."

Yoshida regards her grudgingly. "I hate to agree with you. But how do we figure out who the mastermind is?"

"Mastermind? What mastermind?" Once again, Monokuma's presence startles us, right behind Abe. I almost jump clear out of my seat, but he doesn't flinch. Monokuma's head is tilted slightly, a paw up to his mouth in a look of obviously fake innocence and curiosity. "I dunno what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," Abe says, taking a bite of his toast. It's definitely cold by now. I don't know why he didn't finish it earlier. "Tell me, then, how are you alive?"

Monokuma is quiet for a second. Did Abe actually stump him? "You know, Blue, you sure think you know a lot. Miracles of nature happen all the time! And if you must know, when I was a cub, I accidentally swallowed a butterfly. Or was it a moth? Anywho, I'm alive as can be! Nothin' to it but that, got it?"

I would've gotten it better if he hadn't ventured into the vaguely threatening territory at the end. "Why are you here?" I ask, already thoroughly annoyed with him.

"I just wanted to say how disappointed I am that nobody's claimed the moolah yet! You little punks have to step up your game if you wanna get out!" He sighs and shakes his head dejectedly. "It's like I hafta do everything around here."

Beside me, Miyuki shakes her head. "Might as well take it back, then. None of us are going to take it."

An unsettling silence falls among us. I watch yet again as everyone glances quickly at each other, trying to glean whether or not what Miyuki said is true. The same anger and frustration I felt two days ago starts building up again. Is it really so hard to trust each other if we have no basis to suspect each other? It doesn't make any sense!

"Stop looking so satisfied." I don't know who Matsumoto is talking to for a moment before I realize he's talking to Monokuma. "You haven't done anything to incite us. Your motive has done nothing."

"Nobody's going to be taking it," Nakamura adds, staring down Monokuma. "I have no doubt we'll come out alive."

Monokuma's laugh is just as annoying as it has been. "Whatever you say. The facts don't lie! It's just a matter of time." He waddles out of the dining hall, still laughing to himself. The vast majority of us are shooting daggers at his back. If it weren't against the rules, I'm sure we would literally be shooting daggers.

"Don't listen to him," Miyuki says, some semblance of confidence returned to her voice. "We've gotten this far, haven't we? Let's keep doing what we're doing and prove him wrong."

"Right. We can do this." Sasaki and Yasu both have looks of hard determination. As my gaze moves down the table, I realize that everyone else does, too. Already we all hate Monokuma so much that we'll gladly prove him wrong about us. It's not the most positive common ground, but it's all we have. It's at least something.

Saito lifts her gaze to Abe. "We can't forget about the person who brought up the notion of the mastermind. Why paint yourself in that light?"

"I don't know what you mean." His face is carefully controlled, mirroring Saito's.

"Why make yourself appear to have more knowledge if it could attract the suspicion and action of the mastermind?" she clarifies, genuine curiosity laced in her tone. "Do you really feel that secure?"

"The faster we find and expose the mastermind, the faster we get out of here alive. It's as easy as that." He shrugs, finally finishing off his toast. I note that he doesn't answer her other question. Either way, his logic makes sense, although he's not the person I would expect this plan from. Apart from that, Saito raises a valid point. The mastermind could easily target him.

A flash of a thought bursts in my mind before I tamp it down. No need to dwell on something that'll upset me. It does no good.

Miyuki looks from him to the rest of us uncertainly. _Should we put this to a vote?_ she mouths in my direction. I shrug. I really don't know what to do about this.

Before she says anything, Fujimoto speaks up. "I mean...no need to paint ourselves as targets right off the bat, right? If it comes up again, sure."

"I don't care much about it right now," Maeda says in a monotone. So much about him just reeks boredom. He really does wear his heart on his sleeve. "I just want to do something fun."

"We have the gym. We have basketballs. Why not play a few pickup games?" Yasu suggests after a second. "I can be scorekeeper if you want!"

"Sounds pretty fun to me." I haven't played a good game in a while, and we're all on just about even ground. No harm in a little competition. "I'm in!"

Maeda nods along, a hungry smile growing on his lips. "Alright! Whoever wants to play, let's meet in the gym around four, alright? It'll get us nice and hungry for dinner!" Already his energy is fully restored. I'm almost jealous of how easy it is for him.

Not long after that's sorted out, we all go our separate ways for the time being. Mostly people just head to their rooms, but Aoyama hangs back in the dining hall for whatever reason. I linger in the doorway before going back inside, sitting near him. "Can you tell me something?"

He quirks an eyebrow up, tipping his chair backward. "Depends, you want to answer a question of my own?"

A hard bargain. "I'll answer yours if you answer mine." I can probably outstare him if I have to. I'm getting my question answered.

He holds my stare for a minute before shrugging. "Shoot."

I could really ask him any question I want right now. I can totally switch questions if I want to- but I'm not that kind of person. "What kind of blog do you run? I want to know if I've ever seen it."

"I'm sure you have." And we're back to the cockiness he had when we arrived. Less of the annoying person he's been, sort of, just self-assured. "Mostly I just talk about life, reblog and make memes, the usual. I just happened to get popular, and now here I am."

"Oh, so I haven't seen it. I generally only follow travel blogs, and to keep up with my friends in different countries." It really helps me continue to practice those languages, since they'll either post in their native language or we'll converse in it.

He doesn't react much to me saying that, even though I think it's a bit of a blow to his ego. It nearly was when Saito said that nobody knew who he was earlier. "It doesn't matter if you don't know my blog, it's still one of the most popular in Japan! That's not such an easy feat."

"I can imagine. Um, what was your question for me?" I'm actually a bit curious about it now.

He stares again, as though trying to look through me. It's a bit unnerving, but I'm not going to let him see that. "Why didn't you step up?"

I sit back a little and blink once. "What? I don't think I know what you're talking about."

"Instead of Ueda. I'm sure you've had more opportunities before to have the skills essential to a leader than she has, and you're a linguist, making you a better speaker. So why didn't you step up and become our leader?"

"Because…" Because what? Because I didn't think to? Because I didn't want the responsibility of it? "Because I believe in Ueda. I believe she can make a good leader for us if you'll give her a chance."

He regards me with a look of- wait, disappointment? "I see. I'll be going now. Thanks, I guess, for indulging in my curiosity." So formal, kind of, but also stiff, righteous. I watch him leave and wait about a minute before following, going back to my room. Might as well organize my books by language since they're all mixed up.

...Wait, that's a dumb use of my time. I should see if anyone else is around and wants to hang out. Then I can organize my books.

And at least I get an answer without having to ask. Fujimoto sits cross-legged outside his door scribbling something in the notebook he picked up yesterday. "Everything alright?" I ask tentatively, standing outside my own door.

"Locked myself out," he answers, not looking up from his notebook until he finishes his thought. "I went to the storeroom this morning and I think I dropped it somewhere there. I didn't want to look alone."

"Well, I'm not doing anything. I can look with you if you want." It's not a huge deal, anyway. Gives me something to do.

"Thank you." He stands up, his shoulders more relaxed. "I didn't want to bother anyone, really."

I shrug as we start on our way. "It's not really a bother, but I can get why you wouldn't want to ask." I glance at the notebook still in his hands. "It looks like you've been busy with ideas, huh?"

He considers his notebook for a moment. "Not as many as usual, actually. But Hamasaki said that we'd be able to collab as soon as we can. That'll be amazing, to work with someone else."

"Have you never done that before?" I was only tipped off from the wistful tone he had, but it seems right on the mark.

"Never. I don't usually let people read what I write until it's done, and the only reason I have my title is because my friend submitted them to a poetry contest and they won." He shrugs as we enter the storeroom. "I never wanted to enter, but he thought he was doing me a favor."

"They must be good if you were given the Super High-School Level Songwriter title. Ah, where do you think you dropped your key?"

He beckons me over to a few rows of shelves. "Somewhere over here. And, really, I don't think they're that good. They're just little indulgences. Nothing special." When I glance over, I notice that he's blushing. "Hamasaki, though, she thinks we would make a great team."

I smile to myself, knowing that that can happen in more than one way. Lovebirds. "You definitely would. It'd be cool to hear for sure." Something muted blue catches my eye on the ground. "Oh, here's your key."

He takes it from me with a grateful smile. "Thanks again, Ishikawa. I'll leave you to whatever you were doing before." With a final wave, he goes back outside, probably back to his room to write more. He's more shy than he comes off, for sure. I almost forgot that we didn't really get a formal chance to introduce ourselves to each other. Hamasaki, either. I should fix that sometime.

There's nobody else in the hallway when I go back. I might as well actually organize my books until it's time for the pickup game. That'll pass time, at least.

**X-X-X**

Maeda and the others are already in the gym when I get there. It's just me, Maeda, Sasaki, Hamasaki, Matsumoto, Nakamura, and Yasu keeping score. Not quite half of us, but perfect for a three-on-three game. Honestly, I'm just glad we found gym shorts in the storeroom so I don't have to play in my skirt. Hamasaki and Sasaki are lucky that they don't have to worry about that either way.

The moment Maeda sees me come in, a wicked looks appears in his eyes. It's the look of someone who was waiting for the moment that finally arrived. "Perfect. Why don't we do boys against girls?"

Of the three of us girls, there are approximately none of us who are athletically inclined like the boys are. "Seems unbalanced, doesn't it?" Hamasaki asks, likely thinking the same thing I am.

"Only if you let it be." He picks a basketball up from the corner and passes it to her. She catches in before it can hit her chest.

The three of us exchange glances. "We could always switch teams later?" Sasaki suggests uncertainly. Almost in an instant, though, she shifts into absolute certainty. "You know what? They'll be the ones wanting to switch teams. We can absolutely win this."

"Hell yeah!" Maeda grins at us. "Whattaya say, guys? Let's not go easy on them for a second!"

Nakamura gives us three a sly glance, his lips quirked up ever so slightly. He's definitely cute, but no- I won't let myself get distracted! Hamasaki and Sasaki look away from him with the same resolve.

"In that case, let's begin!" Yasu declares, holding a white board he must've found in the storeroom. "Okay, Ishikawa, call it!"

He flips a coin in the air that I didn't see him holding. I yelp at being put on the spot. "Heads!"

He catches it flawlessly and looks at it before grinning. "Good call! You'll start with the ball. Matsumoto, check it to Hamasaki."

Matsumoto gives him a thumbs-up as Sasaki and I jog to our places. I'm on Hamasaki's left, and of course Maeda is the one opposite me. At least Sasaki would have a slightly better chance of being athletic. I don't think I stand a chance. And, at least, she seems to be having no problem with Nakamura.

"Go!" The instant the ball is checked to her, Hamasaki springs into action, dribbling past Matsumoto and down the court. Sasaki and I dodge around our guards as best as we can to follow. She's a lot faster than I expected. "Here!" She passes the ball to me, and thankfully I catch it. I almost forget to dribble as I run before passing it over to Sasaki. Nakamura, it seems, is not the best guard. "Shoot!"

Sasaki does as she's told, but it misses- and falls right into Hamasaki's hands. She jumps and shoots, her positioning better than mine ever was. The ball goes in, only just touching the rim. She pumps her fist in a show of victory.

"How?" Maeda is completely dumbfounded. He's probably regretting blocking me instead of her now. Sasaki's original prediction might be right.

Hamasaki grins, just as smug and confident as Maeda was earlier. She retrieves the ball and holds it between her arm and hip like an expert. "Did I forget to mention that I was in basketball club for a few years?"

That's all it takes for me and Sasaki to start cheering, our spirit renewed. If the boys thought they were going to have an easy win, they were sorely mistaken. Even Yasu is cheering us on, and technically, he's supposed to be impartial.

Hamasaki passes the ball to Maeda, just hard enough to force him to take a step back. "You said you wanted a game, didn't you? Let's play." The three of them look nervous at their chances now.

"We can still beat you. One point doesn't change anything," Maeda says, a determined frown fixed on his face.

Well, he's right. At least, until one point becomes two, then five, ten, fifteen, twenty-three. That's where we draw the line against their seventeen points, all six of us drenched in sweat. Hamasaki doesn't strike me as the bragging type, but the satisfied little smirk she's wearing does all the work for her. "Nice game, guys. I forgot how much fun this was."

"I don't care what anyone says." Maeda points at her. "You're on my team next time."

She laughs, rolling the ball over to the corner. "Sounds good. For now, though, I'd like to get clean before the water shuts off and the dining hall closes for the night."

I agree wholeheartedly. Even though I feel great, I'm also winded, disgusting, and hungry. The seven of us walk back to the dorms together, laughing and teasing each other about the game. It really was a lot of fun, even more than I expected. None of us want to be gross in case anyone else is in the dining hall. Maeda was right; we worked up quite an appetite. I don't remember the last time I was this hungry.

My heart still races while I'm in the shower. I sing myself some of my favorite love songs and lullabies from the countries I've visited. That always does the trick to calm me down.

By the time I get to the dining hall, I'm already yawning and twisting the damp tips of my hair between my fingers. If I do it quick enough, some water drops fly off. It looks cool to me. Always has, for some reason.

Oshiro and Ikeda are the only two in the dining hall still. And, as far as I can tell, Oshiro is talking about something Ikeda has little to no interest in. The only way I can tell is because of the relieved look he gets when I walk in.

"Ishikawa! Wanna hear about the constellations we could see tonight?" she asks, as bubbly as ever despite the time.

See, my answer is no, but I'm put on the spot. I hate being put on the spot. "If you'll give me a minute, sure. I'm kind of hungry, so-"

"Oshiro, check out what I found in the storeroom!" Yoshida, by chance, has perfect timing. She carries a globe-like thing under her arm, allowing me to slip into the kitchen- and right into Matsumoto.

"Oh! Sorry about that." I help him balance the plate in his hands. "You sure showered fast."

"It's what I'm used to." Out of courtesy, he lingers while I prepare my dinner. Every time I look over at him, his eyes seem to shift warily over towards the dining hall.

I try to look at what he's looking at, but I'm not sure what that is. "Everything okay?"

For a moment, he doesn't respond, like he didn't hear me. "Fine. Just one of those feelings I can't shake."

Immediately, I freeze. Wasn't it just a couple days ago that he accurately read Abe? "What kind of feeling? Something I should be worried about?"

He shakes his head slightly. I'm relieved, up until he says "I'm not sure. I, ah… I'm going to eat this in my room. Have a nice night, Ishikawa."

"You as well." I start eating as I watch his back. I wonder if this is something I should bring up with Miyuki. Is it worth worrying her about?

Everyone else has already left by the time I finish eating. It's already late; the dining hall is going to close soon. No point in sticking around, I guess.

The halls are bare all the way to my dorm, unnerving me. Each little noise I hear makes me jump. Matsumoto's words are getting to me. I shouldn't let them. It's not worth psyching myself out.

I hum another lullaby under my breath, overpowering the silence until I'm back in my room and the door is locked. I slip into my pajamas and grab the same book I was reading last night. In an instant, I fall into the language. That's the best sort of falling. I fall and fall and fall until the nighttime announcement plays. I yawn, my body not complaining when I put the book down. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, but that's Future Me's problem.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE IV

"Is there anything in life that's not a competition?"

"Anything where there's not a drive to one-up everyone else?"

"Sports, school, wealth, health, anything you can think of."

"Always a winner, always a loser."

"Who wins more in life?"

**X-X-X**

"You wouldn't believe it! Hamasaki is a total basketball legend!" I tell Miyuki on the way to the dining hall. It was pure coincidence that we ran into each other, but I'm glad. Seeing her easy smile first thing in the morning is all the caffeine I need to get going. "We beat the boys by fifteen points."

"Sounds like a lot of fun. Now I regret not playing. I'll definitely come next time." We pause outside the dining hall. Abe and Saito are standing there, trying to get the door open. "Uh, what's going on?"

Saito sighs and kicks the door halfheartedly. "It won't open, even though the morning announcement already played. So either Monokuma's keeping it locked on purpose, or someone's playing a trick on us."

Neither of those feels right. Without explanation, my heart rate increases. Matsumoto's feeling...was it right? Was this why he was looking out into the dining hall?

"Ishikawa, take that side with Abe," Miyuki instructs, her smile slipping into a worried line. "We'll push together. That should open the doors."

We go on her count, shoving our shoulders against the door. After three tries, we manage to get it open and stumble inside. "That hurt more than I expected," I grumble before looking up and freezing. Any appetite I had coming in is lost, and actually- I feel like I'm going to throw up.

Matsumoto's feeling was right. There he is, lying on his stomach on the floor with a knife sticking out of his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this on Wednesday but I couldn't wait! Here are the results of the poll: 2 votes for Abe, 1 for Aoyama, and 1 for Fujimoto! Thanks for voting for free time!
> 
> Oh yeah, and the first murder is here, isn't it? I don't know how obvious it was, but I hope at least a few of you were surprised! The next poll on my profile is who you think the blackened in this case is. That'll be up until the trial chapter, since that's only one chapter long. After that, we'll go back to the next FTE poll. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 1 Part III

One of us screams; I'm not sure if it's me or Miyuki. Bells play over the PA system, different from the morning and nighttime announcements. Monokuma's sickening voice comes pouring out of the monitors, assaulting our ears. "A body has been discovered! All students, please gather in the dining hall for further instructions."

"Damn it… How could we let this happen?" Abe looks crestfallen and outraged at this turn of events. I can't focus on him too long, nor can I focus on Matsumoto. Miyuki stumbles over to me, terror written all over her face.

"How? Why?" She nearly falls into me. I try my best to support her weight, just as much as she tries to support mine. I'm just as shaken as she is. I just saw him last night! He was fine less than twelve hours ago.

God, this is the first time I've seen a dead body…

Saito shakes her head, averting her eyes from Matsumoto's body. It's tough; he's right in the center of the room, in front of the table we eat at. "This...this is horrible."

I can barely register everyone coming in behind us, their gasps and screams and cries. Miyuki and I hold each other tight, trying and failing to look away. Neither of us can tear our eyes from the tragedy laid out in front of us. I don't even know how much time has passed since we got here. All I know is that the announcement woke everyone else, and all of us are gathered in various states of shock.

When I'm finally able to look around at everyone gathered through tears that haven't fallen, I notice the groups that have formed. Nobody is alone, not even Aoyama. Nobody should be alone. I take a deep breath and let go of Miyuki.

Sasaki sits next to Yasu against the wall adjacent to the door, rubbing his back while he has his head between his knees. Yoshida and Oshiro are together; so are Hamasaki and Fujimoto. The four of them look like they're going to be sick. Maeda and Rikimaru are pacing, but I can only hear the sharp click of her heels. Of course; they were close to Matsumoto. They were all together at the beginning. Ikeda and Nakamura can barely look at the crime scene. Abe, Saito, and Aoyama stand off to the side, shifting awkwardly. I can't get a read on them.

"Did I not tell you?" For once, I don't flinch when Monokuma shows up unannounced. My fingers curl into fists, my nails biting into my palms. Any more pressure and they'll break the skin. "They always go for the money. Greedy little bastards!"

"What are you talking about? It's obvious that you're the one who killed him!" Maeda shouts, his hands shaking even as he tries to hide them in his pockets. "You killed him!"

Monokuma shakes his head and raises a paw. "Didn't I tell you before? I wouldn't interfere like this unless someone breaks one of my rules. So the killer is one of you, naturally! One of you killed poor Woodsy so you could get the money and get out of Dodge!"

No. No, I can't believe it. I can't believe that one of us- one of us killed Matsumoto. It had to be a freak accident. The suspicious glances, all of the nerves- did those really drive someone to murder? Miyuki takes one of my hands, squeezing it tightly before dropping it again.

"What does this mean, though?" Yoshida asks nervously. Her voice is thick, yet her words are hollow. No teasing will be coming from her anytime soon. "Is someone going to graduate right now?"

Monokuma's sick grin widens. He dances a little, getting a bit too close to Matsumoto for my liking. "Not quite! If you paid any attention to the rules, you'd see that they say you can only graduate if you kill someone and don't get caught! It's only fair that everyone else gets the chance to catch the blackened."

My heart sinks further. Nothing about this is _fair._ If it were fair, we would've been able to leave. If it were fair, Matsumoto wouldn't be dead. "I'm afraid to ask, but what does that entail?" Sasaki looks up from Yasu just for a second to ask. Yasu still hasn't moved from his position. Is he in shock? Will someone help him if he is?

"An investigation and class trial, of course! Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to get at the investigation, a good couple of hours!" His tongue pokes out for a moment, and his eyelids sink halfway down. "Oh, I do love a good trial!"

"A trial," Ikeda repeats, incredulity in his voice. "You want us to take part in a trial."

"That's right! You'll be presenting your arguments to your classmates about who you think the blackened is. At the end, the identity of the blackened will be decided by popular vote! If the majority votes correctly, then only the blackened is punished! Everyone else will continue to live here together. If you're wrong, the blackened goes free, and everyone else will receive punishment, in which case your harmonious school life will come to an end! Got it? Good!"

Across the room, Hamasaki stirs. All of the color is gone from her face. "And this punishment is?"

His ruthless gaze slides over to her. "Execution, of course."

"What?" Rikimaru shrieks, taking a few steps back. Her eyes are impossibly wide. "What do you mean by execution?"

Monokuma sighs in what I assume is irritation. "By execution, I mean execution, of course. Disturbing the peace is punishable by death!"

Aoyama shakes his head, nothing on his face. "Let me get this straight: if we don't find out who killed Matsumoto, we all die?"

"Aww, look at you, implying you didn't do it! Don't think that didn't go unnoticed!" He wags a paw at Aoyama with a sickening smile, making light of the situation. "That's correct, anyhow. Oh, and so you know, class trials are mandatory! The same punishment will come to those who don't attend!" True to form, he gives us no time to take this in, already onto the next thing. "Anywho, here's your official Monokuma File! This'll give you a bit of an edge in your investigative efforts. Naturally, you guys aren't experts, so this details everything I've gathered about the murder itself- except for the killer's identity, of course." He hands them out to each of us, shoving them into our hands even if we don't want to take them.

Realization dawns on Abe's face the moment he gets the file. "The surveillance cameras. You saw the entire murder happen."

"Bingo, Blue! How else am I supposed to pass judgement at the end? We wouldn't want an innocent person slain! Well, present company excluded." He pats Matsumoto's head, messing up his hair a bit. "Now, please put in your best effort! I'll be waiting!" And with that, he disappears once again.

Everyone stays silent. We don't look at the file, don't take our eyes off of each other and Matsumoto. "I can't believe this," Ikeda finally says. "He wants us to investigate a dead body?" His gaze runs over Matsumoto's body once before returning to the rest of us. "One of our friends…"

"If we want to live, we have to." Abe holds up his copy of the file. "We should go over this information first so we know what to look for."

With shaky hands, I open mine up. Information is neatly listed down one side of the page, with a photo of the crime scene on the other. Saito reads the information out loud. "The victim is Matsumoto Takeshi, Super High-School Level Carpenter. The time of death is precisely 1:37 in the morning." She glances up briefly at that before continuing. "The body was discovered in the dining hall at 7:10 in the morning. The cause of death is a single stab wound to the back. Multiple other injuries are noted, such as bruises from his wrists to his upper arm, blunt force trauma to the back of the head, and a broken nose. That's all it says."

I examine it for myself over and over until my eyes are weary from the strain. The time strikes me as odd; Saito likely paused for the same reason. After all, how can a murder happen in the dining hall if it's closed until the morning announcement?

Miyuki's hand knocks into mine gently, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Can we investigate together?" she asks in a whisper. She must not trust her own voice to give out on her. "I don't want to do this alone."

I nod silently. I don't trust my voice much, either. "I'm taking Yasu back to her dorm," Sasaki says, supporting a shaky and pale-faced Yasu. I note the pronoun shift, but I'm more occupied with the awful state she's in. I know this isn't the first time she hasn't felt well, but this is different. She looks only a second away from throwing up or passing out, possibly both. I should check on her later, but for now she's alright with Sasaki.

"We should have two people stay here by the body," Abe says in an authoritative voice. He's taken the position from Miyuki, but it doesn't look like she minds. "That way we can make sure nobody tries to destroy evidence. That's the biggest worry right now. I'll be one if someone else wants to volunteer."

"I will," Saito says after a beat passes. She moves to stand by him. The two of them exchange a nod.

Right. I hadn't even thought of evidence being tampered with or destroyed. I'm almost surprised he did. Then again, a lot of what we know about history is from evidence, right? That makes some sense.

There's no clear signal that we should start investigating, but we shouldn't take too long delaying the inevitable. Miyuki and I walk the perimeter of the room slowly, though neither of us is sure what to look for. It's not like we're well-versed in investigating crime scenes. "You two, come here," Saito calls to us after only a minute or so has passed. We exchange a quick glance before going over to her. She points down at the floor, about half a meter from where she stood near Matsumoto. "Scuff marks. Can you see them?"

I almost have to squint to see them- they're just small black streaks- but Miyuki nods almost immediately before taking a quick look around. "Nothing is misplaced around them. They're probably from the shoes of whoever was in here with Matsumoto, right?"

"How did you notice them? Especially from so far away," I ask Saito after giving up on examining them. Maybe I need glasses like Miyuki, but even she seemed to see them just fine.

"Perfect vision. I'm an archer, remember; I have to have perfect, precise vision." She leans over towards us a bit to examine them closer without abandoning her post. "These won't tell us what kind of shoes they're from- must shoes can scuff if the person is moving fast enough- and there's no clear pattern to them. That would've been too easy, wouldn't it?"

I nod and scan the room again. I'm not sure how much help I'll be with this investigation. Unless it's with words, I'm not a very detail-oriented person. Let's see, what in this room doesn't belong? What's different? Think, think…

I don't see anything except for the painfully obvious: Abe watching Ikeda and Maeda examining Matsumoto's body. I tug on Miyuki's sleeve and point it out to her, even thought they're literally right there. We should at least see what they have to say about it. "Find anything?" I ask, unsure of what I want the answer to be. On the one hand, if they don't have anything, we don't have evidence. On the other, we'll have evidence.

"The knife has no prints on it," Maeda tells us, sitting back on his heels. "It looks like one of the knives from the kitchen, but I'm not entirely sure. If it is, any one of us could've taken it at any time."

Well, that narrows it down well. Not. "There's no blood around Matsumoto apart from his nose and stab wound. And look here." Ikeda points to the bruises on Matsumoto's arms. "Lighter, but more concentrated on the forearms. I don't know if it's the same on his upper arms, though, since his sleeves can't be rolled up more. And here, this small dent." He points to it on the back of Matsumoto's head. I can see the divot without having to bend down much. "The Monokuma File was right about the injuries."

"So...what? Was there a fight or something like that?" I ask, trying to examine the injuries for myself without touching him. I don't want to feel how cold he must be.

"A fight, or at least a struggle." Maeda dusts his hands off and comes out of his crouching position. "Otherwise, there'd be no way to get a dent to the back of the head. I've seen fights between rival spectators go down worse than this, but they've also gotten off lighter."

That's true; the injuries do fit what I would expect from a fight, for the most part. So we can sort of put together a chain of events leading up to this, at least once we have more information. That's good to know, at least. We're on the right track.

Miyuki straightens a bit, attentive with a question. "Did anyone already check the kitchen to see if any of the knives are missing from the set?" Her question is a bit louder, checking to see if anyone in the room did rather than just the four of us.

"I did!" Oshiro comes out of the kitchen, her gait missing its usual spring. Her skirt didn't get the memo; it swishes and twists like normal, only stopped by the bottom of her jacket. "There's a knife missing from the set in there, so the one in Matsumoto's back is probably it."

So the killer really could be any one of us. That doesn't eliminate anyone, which puts a damper on the realization of the struggle. We're not any closer to finding out who could've done this. "Is there anywhere else we should check for clues?" I ask Abe, stealing his attention from nothing. I would've thought he would want to examine the crime scene, so this position seems odd for him. "This area seems covered by everyone."

He thinks on this for a moment. "The trash room and Matsumoto's room; that should be unlocked. But Nakamura shouldn't have turned on the incinerator yet, so there's a small chance that someone managed to throw evidence in there."

Miyuki nods, slight hopefulness on her face. "Let's go check with him, then. We'll need him to give us access to it, and then we can check out Matsumoto's room."

We find Nakamura over by the doors, studying them with a puzzled look. "Nakamura, do you mind helping us in the trash room?" I ask, interrupting whatever he was doing. I'm not quite sure what it is.

"Absolutely. Just- one second." Miyuki and I glance at each other before he turns toward us. "Alright, let's go."

"Why were you looking at the doors?" I ask as we start down the hall. "I didn't think there was anything strange about them."

He shrugs, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I didn't think there was until I overheard Saito and Abe discussing why the doors might've been locked when the four of you arrived earlier." Oh. Duh. I knew that. "I was looking to see if there was any evidence of glue or an adhesive keeping them shut. There wasn't."

That's good to know, I guess, but the mystery still remains. Did Monokuma actually keep them locked for a reason? I just don't see why he would do that. My fingers brush the wall as we walk. "We should check the lock when we get back, just in case."

"That's a good idea. Anyway, as you know, only one person has access beyond the gate in the trash room. Nobody else can get in, let alone operate the incinerator." He holds the door open for us, not bothering to shut it after him. That eases my tension a little. "So if the blackened managed to throw something in here, between the bars of the gate, it should be somewhere in here." He takes a key out of his pocket and uses it to flip the switch on the wall. The gate retracts into the ceiling. "Follow me."

The incinerator is off, just as Nakamura left it before. The first place we look is the larger garbage collector, since there's nothing obvious on the floor. It would be hard to throw something the thirty feet between the gate and the collector, unless you're some kind of baseball player, or are just lucky.

My eyes drift to the side as Miyuki groans. Maybe they didn't need to make it all thirty feet. "Hold on, what if the evidence never made it into the trash in the first place?" I get down on my hands and knees, reaching my hand back between the wall and the trash. It's worth a shot, right? I grope around until, at the same time, my fingers close around something soft and stretchy as well as cool and hard.

Miyuki looks over my shoulder as I pull out my find. "Rubber gloves, and...ew, blood. Do they have something inside them?"

"That's what it looks like." I study the gloves for a second; the bloodstains are only on the backs, not the palms. There isn't even that much; it's all spatter, even less on the thumb and none of the fingertips. I guess I'd expect that, coming from the wound. I carefully peel the gloves back, not wanting to touch the blood, and take out a small plastic bottle. "What's this?"

At the same time, Miyuki and Nakamura answer "Concealer." They look at each other, slightly amused, before Nakamura continues. "It looks like every drop is used. There isn't even enough left to determine the pigment."

I cock my head a bit. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you know it was concealer?"

He shrugs with a self-conscious smile. "It's part of being a former model. I started learning how to do my own makeup after a while. Takes a lot less time than having other people do it. Either the killer already had it, or they could've gotten it from the storeroom. This is a good find. How did you know this was there?"

Honestly, I stunned myself with the find. "I don't know. Lucky guess?"

"We should show the others." Miyuki glances at the gloves in my hands, still a bit unnerved from the bloodstains. "At least we know why the knife was clean." Those, at least, have a solid role in all of this. That's how they fit, but I don't have any idea about the makeup. I don't really use makeup, so I'm not sure how it can be used in this case.

And, yeah, I'll be the first to admit that I drag my feet on our way to Matsumoto's room, but so do Miyuki and Nakamura. I try to convince myself that we'll go in and find nothing. Maybe we'll find him in his room. Maybe I'll realize it was a nightmare, or hallucination, or something. I don't know, just not real. But the door opens easily without his key.

The entire room smells of sawdust. His room looks largely the same as mine, but instead of books there are blocks of wood, sandpaper, and a couple...whittling knives? Those could do some damage, and I know that Miyuki and Nakamura can sense my alarm right off the bat.

"Nakamura, you search the bathroom, see if there's anything there. We'll handle it in here," Miyuki says, already moving towards his bed to see if she can find anything. Nakamura nods, and I go in the opposite direction. All I see is wood and more sandpaper. Nothing of particular note. "Hey, do you think this is something?"

I turn to see Miyuki holding up a sawdust-covered piece of paper. "Probably. What's it say?"

She gently blows off the sawdust back into the trash. "I think it's a note from someone else. The handwriting is kinda messy, I can't make a lot of it out." She hands it to me, but I can't make much more out than she can. I pass it over to Nakamura, only to get the same results.

"This could be the reason behind why he was in the dining hall," he says, a hand to his chin in thought. "I'd say we could try matching handwriting, but I don't know if we have the time. Not to mention, the culprit could've altered their handwriting to not be recognized."

If that's the case, the culprit is smarter than I thought. We don't know who we're dealing with. "That's all that's in here. We should head back."

I wish we were coming back with more new evidence, but we have to work with what we have. Hopefully we have enough time to try piecing it together. When we reenter the dining hall, I can't believe I didn't notice it before, but the entire room smells faintly of blood. I don't want to inhale it, but I have to breathe. No wonder Yasu felt so sick.

"I'll take these over to Abe. He might know what to do with them," Nakamura offers, taking the bottle, gloves, and note from me and Miyuki. "Why don't you two start collecting alibis, maybe find out who the last person to see Matsumoto is? I, for one, was sleeping as soon as the nighttime announcement played, after getting dinner and showering. I didn't see Matsumoto after the basketball game."

I look around the room at everyone as he walks off. It'll take a while to get one from everyone, but- "Won't they all be the same?" I ask after a moment. "It was past midnight, surely everyone else was sleeping."

"Whoever...killed obviously wasn't, and neither was Matsumoto. It's possible that someone heard something?" She's about as uncertain as I am, especially since our rooms are soundproof. How will this help the trial process if we all have the same alibi? All that'll be different is that someone will be lying about it, and unless they're a bad liar, we'll have no way of knowing who. "Mine is that I was sleeping, right after the nighttime announcement played, and you saw me this morning. I didn't even see Matsumoto last night, only at breakfast."

Right. I don't think Miyuki did it. The way she was shaken up the other night about this, how adamant she is about keeping everyone safe, I can't believe that she would kill anyone.

We go to Sasaki next, since she's just hovering around to see where she can help. Since Yasu is still in her room, Sasaki gives us both. "Both of us got dinner together after the basketball game last night, then walked back together and went right to bed. Yasu's told me before that she likes to go to bed fairly early, and she seemed tired last night, anyway. We didn't see Matsumoto after the game."

"Was Yasu feeling any better?" Miyuki checks, her brow creased in worry. "When you brought her to her room, that is."

"I think so?" Sasaki steals a quick look towards the door. "She said she wanted to talk to me later about something, but I don't think it's related to the case. I can check if you want."

I think that might be a good idea, just to be sure. "If you're through investigating for yourself, I think you should. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Right. I'll be back, then." She turns and goes out towards the dorms, her braid bouncing against her back.

Miyuki sighs slightly, tapping her fingers against her thigh. "That's three down, I guess. And we've got ours. So, ten to go?"

I nod, looking around to see who might not be occupied. "Let's get Oshiro and Yoshida's next. I remember they were in the dining hall last night when I got there. Ikeda, too. We'll get his after."

Oshiro turns around as we approach, seeming to sense (or just hear) us coming before Yoshida. "Ueda, Ishikawa! There's nothing relevant in this area, but if you want to check-"

"That's not why we're here, but thanks for telling us," Miyuki interrupts. Yoshida glances over at us. "We're here for your alibis and when you last saw Matsumoto."

"That's easy! Yoshida showed me a star globe she found, and then we went to our rooms before the nighttime announcement came on! We were sleeping when Matsumoto was killed."

Yoshida nods. "You saw us in the dining hall, right, Ishikawa? That's when we last saw him."

"That's right. I was still there for a while after you two left." Actually, come to think of it, I was the only one in there after Matsumoto left. But after I went to my room, there was a small window before the dining hall closed. I wonder if anyone was there at that time? Did anyone else see Matsumoto after me? "You didn't happen to see anyone in the hall, did you?"

They think on that for a second. "I don't think so," Yoshida answers.

I figured, but it doesn't hurt to check. "Thanks for your cooperation," Miyuki says, and we're onto the next alibi. Eight to go. At least we're going at a decent pace.

Hamasaki and Fujimoto approach us just as we start walking towards them. "Guys, look at what we found by the table over there." She opens her palm, revealing a single, small black rubber plug. I don't think I've seen anything like it before. "It's too small to be from the tables or chairs, I checked. Any ideas if it means anything?"

"Not a clue," I say, taking it from her to get a good look. It's mostly round, but is squared off on one side. It has two layers, too. The more worn side, the bottom, is wider and thin, about a third of a centimeter thick, but the other layer is a centimeter and a half tall and narrower. It looks like it could fit into something small, but I'm not sure what. Maybe it holds significance, but if it does, I don't know what it is. "While you're here, though, can we get your alibis?"

Miyuki studies the plug intently, even more closely than I did, while they answer. "I mostly stayed in my room all night, working on some new lyrics," Fujimoto says first. "I got dinner early so I would have more time, and then I went to bed about half an hour after the nighttime announcement. I don't think I saw Matsumoto after breakfast."

"I showered and got dinner a little before the nighttime announcement played, maybe twenty minutes? And, um-" she steals a glance towards Matsumoto's body- "all of the kitchen knives were there when I was. Nothing was amiss in the kitchen at all. Then I went to bed right after the announcement. The last time I saw Matsumoto was the game. Nobody was out when I was."

So someone _was_ in the dining hall after I was. It casts some suspicion that she was the last one in the kitchen, and her claim that none of the knives were missing must be taken with a heap of salt. Despite this, I can't imagine her being the killer. There's just no way. "Here, hold onto this," Miyuki says, giving Hamasaki the plug back. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem." They go back to scouring their little area, likely trying to see if there's anything else around that area that they missed. Somehow, I doubt it. It was lucky that they found the plug at all.

Miyuki looks like there's something on the tip of her tongue. "Did you recognize the plug?"

"Maybe? I don't know. I thought it looked familiar, but I'm not sure, and there's no way to be sure. I'll keep it in the back of my mind." She collects herself, scanning the area. "We need to keep working, we don't know how much time there is left."

"Right. Let's get Abe and Saito's next." They're still by Matsumoto, just as Abe said they'd be. Everything looks the same; they definitely made sure nothing was tampered with. Good.

Abe glances at us, his arms folded. "Looking for alibis? Nakamura told us you were."

Saito regards us with what seems like respect. "That was a good find in the trash room, though I do wonder how much of it was luck." I- what? Was that a compliment, or…? "My alibi, I believe, is the same as everyone else's. I was in my room after eating dinner, and I went right to bed after the nighttime announcement. Abe and I were the first ones up, as usual, and I didn't see Matsumoto after running into him in the storeroom."

"Would you mind expanding on that?" Miyuki asks, giving me a glance that says _this could be something._

"It was nothing more than a passing. He was coming out with sandpaper while I was going in to look for a small jewelry box of some sort." She shrugs, folding her arms. She couldn't look more indifferent. "We didn't share anything other than pleasantries."

Nothing important, especially given that she wasn't the last to see him. "Did he say anything about a feeling?" I ask, his words echoing in my mind. She thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. "Alright, thanks. Abe?"

"Mine is the same," Abe adds in a somewhat bored voice. "I didn't see him after breakfast. How many more do you need?"

I check them off on my fingers. "Maeda's, Ikeda's, Aoyama's, and Rikimaru's. And you're right, all of them are largely the same so far." Which, as I suspected, isn't getting us anywhere anytime soon.

"Have you thought about checking the door to see why it was locked?"

"Nakamura checked the door itself, and he said there wasn't any adhesive or anything." Miyuki hums a bit under her breath. "We're going to check the lock once we get the rest of the alibis."

I glance nervously towards the monitors. It's already been about an hour, maybe longer. Time is going too fast. "We should keep going. I think time will be up soon."

The last of them, at least, are nearby. The last four alibis are exactly the same as the others. With the exception of Maeda and Ikeda, nobody had seen him since breakfast. Maeda saw him at the game, and Ikeda when Matsumoto left the dining hall afterward. Everyone was asleep at the time of death. Even if they weren't, I highly doubt any of them would be out at that time. Not if they value their sanity, at least. I can't imagine going out there with all of the paranoia running around. I thought Matsumoto would've felt the same, especially with the feeling he got. I just don't get it.

"That got us nowhere." My head hangs as I review all of the alibis again. None of them tell me much of anything, other than that I was the last to see him alive. Apart from that fact, I don't think it would even be worth it to bring the alibis up in the trial.

"We did gather a lot of evidence, though," Miyuki points out with slight optimism. "And we still have to check the lock. Let's do that now."

We're the only ones by the door, leaving us free reign to check. My first thought was that something kept it shut like adhesive, but Nakamura said there wasn't any. It would be worth it to recheck that, though. "If you check the lock, I'll recheck the door," I offer. Miyuki nods, crouching down to study the lock closely.

I run my fingers along the side of the door, trying to feel for any residue. There's nothing, just smooth wood. No clear glue, nothing. There weren't any wedges in the door, either, otherwise someone would have found them by now. "Nothing here, you?"

"I think I found something." I crouch down with her, looking at where she's pointing. "It's barely there, but it's there." She's right; there's some sort of black flaky stuff. Paint?

"Wait. We need to think about this. How can something like this be on a lock?"

She blinks at me. "If the lock is picked."

"Right! And what can we pick locks with?"

"...Bobby pins?"

I nod, a slow smile growing. "You may have just found key evidence."

To my surprise, she doesn't look as elated as I feel. "Are you sure? I mean, a lot of us girls wear bobby pins, or at least have them in our rooms. I'm pretty sure there are some in the storeroom."

Oh, right. That definitely puts a damper on this find. "Maybe we should as Rikimaru? She's a hairstylist. Maybe she'd be able to tell what kind of bobby pin was used?"

Her features soften a bit. "That's going out on a limb, but I don't really see how it would hurt. I'll go get her."

I wait until Miyuki and Rikimaru come back to step away. I think I have the rough layout of it memorized. "Have something for me?" Rikimaru asks, planting her hands on her hips.

We show her the flakes and explain our thoughts on it. "It makes sense," she says, studying the flakes closely. "The thing with bobby pins is that it's almost hard to use them to pick a lock unless you know what you're doing. I don't know how we can find that out, but at least you can tell what kind of bobby pin was used: black."

"Does that make a big difference?" I ask as she straightens again.

"That depends. A lot of people choose bobby pins that match their hair color, but some brunettes round up to black. Have you checked the storeroom for bobby pins?"

Miyuki shakes her head. "I don't think we have the time for it. We'll have to rely on someone maybe remembering what they saw in there."

"Right." Rikimaru rubs one of her arms lightly as she thinks. "I'd bring it up in the trial. This could be something, but if there are black bobby pins in the storeroom, it all falls apart."

"I'm confident in this," I say, because I am. For the most part.

Miyuki nods in agreement, though she's less certain. "We might actually be able to logic everything out."

Might. Not will. Might.

The monitors click to life not a moment later. Monokuma's visage shows up, bored with another glass of champagne. "So, um, I'm getting bored, so time's up! Everyone, please head to the red door at the end of the hallway to proceed to the trial grounds! Chop chop!"

"I can't believe he gave us such little time!" Rikimaru complains, her shrill voice just a touch more frail than a moment ago. No doubt panic is setting in that we don't have enough to find the blackened. But...we have to, somehow. We'll all die otherwise.

As butterflies start piling up in my stomach, we start to filter out, leaving Matsumoto alone in the dining hall. I steal one last look at him, trying to remember him as he was last night during our basketball game. Happy. Smiling. _Alive._ The door swings shut behind Fujimoto, the lock clicking strangely. The crowd pushes forward to the red door, carrying me with it.

I didn't notice the red door when we investigated. It must be open for the first time, revealing a waiting room in front of an elevator shaft- thankfully with an elevator right there. Monokuma is already there, pleased with himself. "Let's see...thirteen of ya? Where's Overalls and the other one?" he asks, peering around us like we're hiding them from him somewhere. "Can't go until everyone is here, that would just be unfair."

"We're here!" Sasaki says, coming in with Yasu in tow. She still looks sick, but at the same time, better. Maybe it wasn't anything serious. I look to Sasaki with a questioning glance- surely she had the chance to talk to Yasu. She catches my eye and shakes her head. It didn't have anything to do with this case. In a strange way, I'm relieved. "Thanks for waiting."

Monokuma regards the two of them and nods grudgingly. "Alright, then. The lot of ya, step into the elevator. It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Let's finally get this show on the road!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the investigation is short lol, but it has all the information it needs to have. Investigations may or may not stay around this length, it all depends on how much evidence there is.
> 
> Still wondering who y'all think the blackened is! For the most part, all of the information needed to figure it out is here, so go ahead and take a stab at it! (pun very much intended) Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 1 Part IV

The elevator is more spacious than I imagined. I'm used to the small kind in hotels that can barely fit five people with their bags. There's more than enough room in here for the sixteen- fifteen- of us. Before anyone can press one of the nonexistent buttons, the doors slide shut, leaving us in near darkness. Once it starts moving, it's easy to tell that the rest of the ride will be anything but smooth, shaking and sending some of us into each other every time it jerks. We're deadly silent. I can almost hear our collective heartbeat.

It's weird to see everyone's faces in the darkness as I look, in a very unsettling way. Shadows gather in each ridge, every wrinkle within their visages. If I didn't know it was them I'd be running in the opposite direction. Everyone looks more menacing than I've known them to be. To them, I'm sure I'm no exception.

Miyuki grabs my shoulder gently to keep me from falling as the elevator lurches to a stop. The doors shudder open, finally shedding light into the elevator. Not one of us moves. As soon as we step out, we'll be in enemy territory. Anything could happen, especially because there's no comfort in the room. No comfort means more agitation.

She hooks her pinkie around mine, just subtle enough that if anyone was paying attention, they wouldn't notice. I look up at her, hoping to see some of the confidence behind her eyes, but she's not looking at me. Her eyes are directed at the trial room. She's the first to step out of the elevator; I'm a close second. No delay to the inevitable.

There's a strange ambiance to the room. Everything is in dark, muted colors, save for the black and white checkerboard floor. Most of the tapestry hanging down from the walls is the same, in the red of dried blood. The room is arranged in a circle: sixteen worn wooden podiums all face the center, with Monokuma already sitting, waiting, in a judge's chair behind two of them. He beams at us, baring his fangs. "Welcome, welcome! Please find the podium with your name on it and stand behind it. Then we can get started!"

Miyuki and I are forced to separate here. At least my podium is across from hers, so I can still see her easily. That's comforting, at least. Yasu gives me a nervous smile from my left. On my right, Fujimoto stares straight ahead into the center of the room. I grip the front of my podium, making sure that my grip is tight. I'm in that stage beyond nervous, but not quite scared. Ironically, I'm not sure how to describe it.

Something I realize quicky about the way the room is set up: it's easy to push the blame onto someone else. There's always someone to your side, right in front of you. Someone could look at you wrong and suddenly have the blame pushed solely on them. If tension builds and spills over, I'm afraid of what will happen.

Once we're settled in, if that's what it can be called, Monokuma clears his throat. "Before we begin, let's go over the rules again. After a discussion of the evidence, y'all will vote on the identity of the blackened. If you vote correctly, only the blackened will be punished. If you don't, only the blackened will live. You chumps got that?" He reclines in his chair, relaxed like he's on vacation. We don't give him any response, not even a single nod. "Alrighty, then, get started! Go on!"

"How do we even start?" Sasaki asks, the first one of us to break the silence. Her eyes flit around nervously to the rest of us. "Do we even have enough evidence to catch the killer?"

"What I'd like to know first is why there's...that." As soon as Rikimaru points it out, I realize that the portrait is there. As tall as Matsumoto, bearing a black-and-white framed photo of his kind smile. Smeared over it is a brilliant red X in what I desperately hope isn't blood. It's more vulgar than anything else, not much of a tribute if that's what it's meant to be.

Monokuma glances at it only passively. "Well, why should he have to miss out on all the fun, just cuz he's dead?" He shrugs. "Plus, the podiums are bolted into the ground. It'd be a pain to move them any time one of you twerps kicked it."

Maeda shakes his head, his eyes averted from the portrait. He looks like he's going to throw up. "Whatever, man. Back to what Sasaki was saying, all we really know is what the Monokuma File told us. No way can we get enough from that alone!"

Miyuki sighs, looking up towards the ceiling. "That's why the rest of us actually bothered to investigate more than one thing. If our lives depend on it, we shouldn't just stand off to the side once our portion is done. Don't think I didn't notice." I hide my grin behind my hand as he flinches back at her words. She can be pretty savage when she wants to be. "And we can confirm what the file and the scene already tell us and go from there, right?"

"Exactly. Let's start with that." Abe takes control of the conversation easily, looking as confident but relaxed as ever. Does he already know who did it? "There are a few things the file tells us, but I want to focus on one thing first: the cause of death."

Wait, that's all? But there's so much more from that file that needs explanation. That part is blatantly stated. It couldn't be more obvious. "The stab wound?" Aoyama scoffs, crossing his arms. "I thought Ueda was the only blind one here. Anyone with eyes could see that."

Miyuki's cheeks color at his offhand comment. I didn't realize before that she's the only one of us with glasses. "Hey! I can see just fine without my glasses! ...Mostly."

Yoshida snickers a bit, but Abe continues on, ignoring her. "What I was going to say was that we should focus on the cause and the weapon used. If you had let me finish, you would've known that."

"Well, there's not much to review there," Ikeda says, looking over at him. "Maeda and I checked the body. The knife used came from the set in the kitchen."

"Okay. That's what I was getting at, since that begs the question of when the knife was removed from the kitchen." Abe uncrosses his arms and looks at all of us. "Who wants to own up as the last one to be in the kitchen and dining hall?"

A couple beats of uncomfortable silence later, Hamasaki lifts her head. "I was. There weren't any knives missing from the kitchen when I left."

Rikimaru throws her hand in the air. "Well, there we go! She was the last one there, so she took the knife and killed Matsumoto. That's all there is to it."

Hamasaki's cheeks grow an angry red. "I swear, I didn't take any knives from the set! They were all still completely intact when the dining hall was locked for the night."

"That's something we can't check, so we have to take your word on it." Abe gives her a nod and continues. "What we can think about in the meantime is whether or not the knife was the only weapon used in this murder."

"There was only one knife sticking out of Matsumoto's body," Maeda says, unconvinced. "That's the only one, right?"

Oshiro hums under her breath before speaking up. "Well, what about the dent in his head? We all saw it, and the file said it's blunt force trauma. That can't just be caused by a fist."

"The size of it doesn't fit with the knife handle, either." Ikeda shakes his head, casting an apologetic glance to Maeda. "I think Abe is right, and more than one weapon was used."

"So whatever else was used must've been disposed of," Yasu sums up. "Was there anything found that would match that description?"

Right, she doesn't know. She wasn't there for the investigation. "Nothing," I tell her. The small amount of hope in her eyes dims, but doesn't completely diminish. At least she has that to comfort her through this. "Should we move onto a different topic, or…?"

Nakamura jumps in next. "How about the other injuries listed in the file? I doubt they're not relevant to the case."

"That might be true, but the bruising and broken nose can be consequences of him falling after being stabbed in the back," Ikeda analyzes. "That's a simple conclusion."

Simple, sure. But is it right? It seems too easy. "Are you sure about the bruises?" Hamasaki asks, leaning half over her podium. "I thought the file said they went to his upper arm. You wouldn't get that much from a fall, especially not bruises that light."

"That's true," Miyuki says, half-raising her hand. "I've fallen enough times onto ice, and if there's any bruising, it's much darker and will be concentrated to a few spots, not littered all over. These bruises are much too light."

"That's just one person's experience, though. Is that trustworthy enough to use?" Rikimaru argues, rolling her eyes. She and Aoyama are almost birds of a feather.

I nod. "Yes, it is! And besides, Saito found evidence that proves that the bruises were from a fight."

"That's right. Half a meter from Matsumoto's body, the floor was covered in scuff marks from shoes," Saito says, her voice steady and calm.

The courtroom is silent for a moment. "Couldn't that just be from us?" Yasu asks, glancing at the soles of her shoes. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"Or just Maeda and his running," Rikimaru says, throwing him a quick glare.

"I wouldn't be surprised either, but there were no scuff marks anywhere else in the room. This is where the bruises, blunt force trauma, and broken nose all came from: a fight, or at the very least, a struggle. Unless one of us is a medical expert, though, I'm afraid there's no way to concretely tell the order they occurred in." Saito fingers her charm again as she turns to Monokuma. "Would you care to divulge this information?"

He tilts his head, deliberately taking his time in amusement. "Hmm… Nah. The trial's fair without me tellin' ya!"

Of course. Not like I expected to actually learn anything from him. He doesn't seem like the type of demonic overlord to give his captives any information. Not willingly, at least, but there's not much I can do about that unless I want to be killed. Which, of course, I do not.

"Okay, so that's where the other injuries came from, I guess." Honestly, I wasn't expecting to hear Fujimoto at all this entire time. His shyness apparently is overpowered by our need to stay alive. Good to know. "Are there any fingerprints on the knife?"

That kind of damning evidence would make this an open-and-shut case. Disappointment sweeps through everyone as Maeda shakes his head. "It was completely clean."

Nobody ever said this was going to be easy, I suppose. The entire point of the murder was to get away with it. Whoever committed it had to have thought ahead in this case- which means that this was likely premeditated. It wasn't a crime of passion.

That makes this so much worse.

Sasaki puts a hand to her chin in thought. "So whoever did this must've wiped it after, or worn gloves. And since we can't really tell which… Does anyone here have gloves?"

I shake my head; so does everyone else. Everyone...except Miyuki. "There are some knit gloves in my closet, with practice clothes." Everyone's eyes drift to her. Slowly, realization dawns on her. Her eyes grow wide. "Wait, you don't think-"

"That's what it looks like! Now we know, Ueda's the killer!" Contrary to her voice, Oshiro's mouth is set in a line, her normally wide eyes somewhat narrowed. "All the stars are aligned."

"Wait, no!" She frantically waves her hands in front of her face. "I didn't kill Matsumoto!"

"Isn't it irresponsible to assume without giving the accused a chance to defend herself?" Even though he's technically helping, I can't help but scowl at Aoyama. He sounds too amused for my liking. His eyes bore through her, taunting. "Well, Ueda? Any rebuttal?"

She swallows hard, her knuckles turning white from gripping the podium in front of her. "I…"

She's drawing a blank. That's what Aoyama was going for. "Nothing to say? Is that an admission of guilt?" Maeda asks. Pressure builds in my stomach. I can't just tell them she's innocent, can I? I have to have-

Evidence! That's right! "You don't have any evidence, do you?" Rikimaru asks with a haughty smile. "Caught you!"

"No, that's wrong! We have evidence!" I'm probably a bit too enthusiastic, but at least I get everyone's attention. "Miyuki, Nakamura, and I went to the trash room to see if there was anything there. We found gloves with bloodstains on them. I'm sure they were used in the murder. I don't know why else they would have blood on them."

"They were regular rubber gloves, too, not ones a person would wear to keep their hands warm," Nakamura adds. I smile at him in thanks before checking on Miyuki again. Thank goodness, she seems to be calming down. "Also, first name basis already? You two must be close."

Whoops. The two of us must look like we want to hide, because Fujimoto speaks up. "I remember seeing some gloves in the storeroom before, when I was looking for a notebook."

Miyuki takes a breath and faces her accusers, looking them in the eye. "There's your evidence. I didn't do it."

Abe regards her for a moment before looking away. Just like I noticed before, something indistinguishable crosses his face. "All that proves is that anyone could've gotten the gloves from the storeroom, yourself included. Nobody is cleared from that circumstance."

Right. I forgot about that part. "And everyone's alibis were the same. Everyone was sleeping in their rooms at the time of the murder," I realize. This just keeps getting harder and harder. "So nobody's alibi can be corroborated for the entire night."

Yoshida chuckles nervously, drawing our attention to her. "Well, about that-"

"Yoshida and I spent the night together." Oshiro says it so offhand that for a moment, I think I heard her wrong. "About an hour after the nighttime announcement, I had a nightmare, so I went to her room and asked if I could stay over with her."

Miyuki looks the same way I feel- exhausted and a few seconds away from facepalming. "And neither of you mentioned this while we were collecting alibis?"

Oshiro shrugs, looking between us with a faux-innocent look on her face. "You never asked where we were, just what we were doing. General, not specific."

...I should probably remember that if there's ever a next time. "And the two of you spent the entire night together after that?"

"Yep. And I'm a light sleeper, so you can bet I would've woken up if Oshiro did." Yoshida crosses her arms, daring anyone to contradict her. Nobody does.

"And I'm a sleep hugger. Yoshida wouldn't have been able to go anywhere anyway."

"They're the only two fully accounted for, then." Yasu bites her thumbnail- a nervous habit, I guess.

Rikimaru scoffs, playing with a lock of her hair. "Unless they were accomplices. Naturally they'd cover each others' butts. Make it seem like they did nothing wrong, leaving the rest of us talking in circles."

I'm unconvinced. About half of us are. "Would an accomplice have anything to gain?" Saito muses. "I can't see why they would."

Monokuma's laugh interrupts us. "Well, no! Only the blackened graduates! Accomplices have nothing to gain. If you read into the rules well enough, you would've known that."

Aoyama shifts his stance. "But we didn't know about the specifications to that rule until just now, so isn't it possible that-"

"Look, asshole, we said we didn't do it! Who would want to aid in a murder anyway?" Yoshida shouts, slamming a fist on her podium. I wince; I've seen enough trial-based shows to know that getting angry only serves to degrade credibility.

And, unfortunately for her and Oshiro, Aoyama latches onto that, talking over the rest of us. "Getting defensive, are we? Basically admitting your involvement."

Oshiro's eyes darken, her pupils and irises nearly indistinguishable from each other from this distance. She speaks calmly and clearly, though the room seems to drop several degrees. It's like a storm is brewing around her, covering my arms in goosebumps as she talks. "Yoshida and I did not murder Matsumoto. Got it?"

"Besides, it's not like there was actually an accomplice this time." We all go silent. Monokuma looks up lazily as fifteen pairs of eyes land on him. "Did I say that out loud? Whoopsie."

All of the anger dissipates from Yoshida's visage, replaced with a mix of cautious relief and annoyance. "See? Told you. Prick."

Abe clears his throat before Aoyama can fight her. "Alibis got us next to nowhere. Where should we turn next? We'll need much more than two people ruled not guilty to figure out who is."

"There was something about what we were talking about earlier that was bothering me," Sasaki says, raising a hand slightly even though we're not in a school setting. "The knife just...showed up? I choose to believe that Hamasaki didn't take it when she left, and there was so little time left between that and the nighttime announcement."

Something's spinning in Abe's mind, I can see it. He remains silent, watching. Has he already figured out who did this? Did he move on to trying to find the mastermind again?

"So nobody took the knife beforehand, and then it just shows up." Ikeda shakes his head. "Should we try stepping back and going over everything we know again?"

"Here's what we know: the murder weapon was a kitchen knife, there was a struggle, and everyone is a suspect except for Yoshida and Oshiro." Rikimaru rolls her eyes. "We're getting nowhere."

"There's still the gloves themselves," Nakamura suggests. "After all, the blood spatter on them will tell how the knife was held." I didn't even think of that before. "If you look at it, both of the gloves have an equal amount of blood on them. While it's not much, most of it is concentrated on the sides, and none on the thumb and fingertips."

...I don't get it. "What, exactly, does that tells us?" Aoyama sighs, gazing towards the ceiling like he wants some deity to strike him down where he stands.

"It tells us that whoever killed Matsumoto used both hands." Abe crosses his arms, drumming his fingers against his jacket sleeve. "Likely from a downward strike, where you can get more momentum. Anyone of any strength would be able to do it."

Should I be worried that he knows so much about that?

"How does the rest fit into that?" Saito muses, continuing on to answer her own question. "The bruises, as we've seen, are light; surely that means that whoever did this was not of the same strength, or even near the same strength, of Matsumoto. If anyone of any strength could drive the knife in, matching the two together must mean that the person did not have much upper body or physical strength. I think that means we can cross off anyone with relatively high strength off of the list."

Immediately, the room goes up in commotion. "You're just saying that because you're included in that group!" Yoshida complains, the loudest of all. "Saving your own ass and leaving everyone else's on the line."

"But she's right," Aoyama agrees, earning the glares of many people in the room. "Maybe if you all used your brains you'd realize that what she said checks out. Otherwise, the bruises would've been darker, and there might've been more of them."

I guess that seems right. Especially with what Ikeda said before, about them being more concentrated towards the bottom and lighter as they go up. Someone with more strength likely would've had the same force all the way up. "So that takes out Saito, Ueda, Maeda, and Ikeda," Sasaki sums up. "And Yoshida and Oshiro are out from before, leaving nine of us. At least we're whittling it down."

That's true. "Where do we go next?"

Nobody says anything for a moment, but then Miyuki reels back; she looks like she just had an epiphany. "Wait. The time of death was around one-thirty in the morning, right? The Monokuma File said that. So whoever did this had to get into a restricted area, and isn't that against the rules?" She turns to Monokuma for confirmation.

If the rules were infringed, the person who broke them would be punished. That's what Monokuma said before. His paw seesaws. "See, the dining hall and gym are technically just locked, not restricted. Real gray area there, but whatever."

Barely helpful, of course. "The rules are just subject to his discretion," I mumble, garnering a sympathetic glance from Yasu.

"Well couldn't he just have been moved there?" Yoshida asks, one of her feet tapping against the floor. I can understand why she wants to get out of here, but really?

"No," Abe says immediately. "If you looked carefully at the crime scene, there was no blood apart from directly under him. No blood streaks to show movement. And since it's impossible to move blood in pools like that, it's safe to say that he wasn't moved at all."

"Hold on." Oshiro puts a hand to her head, thinking. "There are blood transfusion packets in the nurse's office. Wouldn't it be possible for the blackened to kill him somewhere else, then clean up and move the body, using the transfusion packets to make it look like he was killed there?"

Damn. She makes a really good point. She was paying more attention this entire time than I thought. And it's a bit odd that she was so thorough with that explanation- she must have thought about it a lot.

"That's right," Maeda realizes, looking around at us. "Since the dining hall was restricted anyway, then the blackened probably offed him somewhere else and moved him, which means that whoever the blackened is had to be strong enough to do so." He makes a not-so-subtle glance at Saito, despite her not being a suspect anymore.

That would be what that means, though, except- "Miyuki, Saito, Abe and I arrived just after the morning announcement played. There was no way for someone to get there before the four of us and somehow deposit his body, let alone put the scuff marks on the floor."

Saito nods, returning his stare with one of her own. "And besides, as the others can attest, the dining hall was still locked when we arrived. It should've been unlocked, since it was after the morning announcement played."

Fujimoto tilts his head. "What, so do we have a locked room mystery on our hands?"

"I think so. There are four major types of a locked room mystery." Abe counts them off on his fingers. "One: it was created from the outside after the crime was committed. The culprit would create a trick to seal the room from the outside. There are endless possibilities as to how. Two: it already existed prior to the murder. The culprit would target the victim from outside the locked room. This case likely doesn't fit there. The doors don't have a wide enough space for that to happen. Three: the culprit was still in the room when the lock was broken. Meaning, they hid, and then slipped into the crowd like they just showed up. Four: it wasn't a locked room to begin with. The room has a secret passage or a way for the culprit to escape. This one is highly improbable in real life, though it shows up a lot in novels."

I think I understand all of that. "You really know a lot about murder, don't you?" Aoyama asks, looking both impressed and highly suspicious. Mostly the latter. "Doesn't seem to have a lot to do with history, wouldn't you say?"

Something in Abe's eyes darkens. He shifts his gaze down, no longer looking at us. "I'm just reciting what I've read before. And besides, that's not our problem right now."

"Our problem is that this is a locked room mystery, and it's either the first or third kind, right?" Miyuki asks, picking right up where Abe left off. "So what we should figure out is which one of those we can cross off the list."

"The four of us were the first to discover the body," I recount, trying to think back. I didn't see the order everyone came in, but… "The only place to hide would've been the kitchen. Miyuki and I were facing the crime scene the entire time people were showing up. We would've noticed if someone tried slipping out of the kitchen as we were looking."

Nakamura nods along with this. "So the only one that stands to the test is the first kind. The culprit somehow managed to lock the door from the outside. I checked the door myself; there wasn't any adhesive or glue holding the doors together."

Yasu wrinkles her nose. "But you didn't check the lock, so that just leaves lock-picking, right?"

Sasaki's brow scrunches slightly. "I know you can pick locks open, but shut, too? Isn't that a bit out there?"

"Not if you know what you're doing. Our blackened definitely knew what they were doing." He glances around at all of us. "Though I doubt any of us would be willing to admit they know how to pick locks."

Well, he's right about that. Nobody owns up to it, and our talents are so niche that I can't even begin to predict who would know how to pick locks. "Camila and I checked the lock, though," Miyuki adds. "We found black flakes on it. They probably came from what was used to pick the lock."

"That's right," Rikimaru confirms. "It's likely that it came from a black bobby pin. I'd say we should look to who has black bobby pins, but there are probably some in the storeroom."

Sasaki looks up sharply. "Hold on. I went to look in the storeroom for hair ties, since I only have the one I have in now, and I did notice that there were bobby pins. But the only bobby pins they had were silver."

Now _that's_ a helpful clue. "And as Rikimaru said earlier, a lot of people with brown hair round up to black bobby pins, so that'll help us narrow it down," I say eagerly, bouncing a bit on the balls of my feet. We could crack this soon! "So, who has black bobby pins?"

Rikimaru and Miyuki raise their hands immediately. Oshiro, Hamasaki, and Saito raise theirs after. "Where does this take us, though?" Oshiro asks, brushing her own pinned hair back with a hand. The bobby pins she's wearing alternate black and metallic purple. "We don't know which one of us knows how to pick locks."

We don't. But I do have a suspicion. "Nothing," Fujimoto sighs, looking defeated. Nobody speaks for another minute. Are they lost now? Did we lose?

"Well, how about why Matsumoto was in the dining hall in the first place?" Ikeda suggests. "Did anyone find anything about that?"

"Just a note with messy handwriting in his room," Miyuki says. "We couldn't read any of it, but I guess we can assume that whoever sent it to him somehow convinced him to go there."

We can't get anything out of that, either. Silence consumes us again. Hamasaki gasps a little before speaking, straightening a bit. "I don't know how important it is, but I found a small rubber plug at the crime scene. It doesn't fit anything in the dining hall, I checked."

"Is that really all we have?" Maeda asks, rolling his eyes. "That was probably left there before the crime on accident. Nothing special."

Miyuki's eyes light up. "No, I remember that! It looked really familiar, so I thought about it for a while. If you look carefully and think hard about it, doesn't it kind of look like it came from the bottom of a shoe? See, it's kinda worn on the bottom side."

"What, like cleats?" Maeda asks, shaking his head. "None of us have those, and a lot of them have screw-in ones anyway."

"To have such a small piece, it must've come from high heels." Aoyama, I really wish I could tackle you off of your high horse. "Well, ladies, who left it?"

I look at my own feet- flats. Saito, Miyuki, and Hamasaki wear flats as well. Oshiro, Yoshida, Sasaki, and Yasu all wear sneakers. That only leaves-

"You can't seriously suspect me because of _that_," Rikimaru whines, a storm brewing in her eyes. "Do you see anything wrong with my heels? I don't think so!"

She shows her shoes off to us; not a scratch on them. They look like she shined them, too. I would believe her, but, well, all of us have a solid way to fight that claim. "Don't you have extra shoes in your room?" I ask tentatively. "Along with extra clothes. We all have them."

Her nostrils flare; her breathing comes heavier. She rubs at her arms again. I must be onto something. "Look, I don't know where you get off on-"

"That's not a no," Abe interrupts. Surprisingly, he looks at me. "And it would explain the blunt force trauma, given the small indent on the back of his head. I expect that if we were to compare them, the size of the plug would match. I believe we found our second weapon: a high heel shoe." His gaze becomes more serious, but doesn't stray from me. "There wouldn't happen to be any more evidence that could prove it was her?"

But why is he- wait. That's right! Nakamura told him about what we found. "But wasn't it em-" I stop myself before I can finish, a plan fully forming in my head. Who cares if it was empty? In the end, it doesn't really matter. "Rikimaru, what if I told you I have proof of your guilt in this case?"

"I'd say you were lying." But her eyes dart around, her fingers curl and uncurl around her podium. "You're lying!" Her already shrill tone turns into a screech. All of her fury is directed at me. It's almost evidence enough of her guilt. I take a half step back. Miyuki nods at me, encouraging, from across the room. I have to do this- right?

"In the trash room-"

"You don't have any evidence!" Her voice is loud, overlapping my own.

"Along with the gloves, we found-"

She clamps her hands over her ears, messing up her hair. "I won't listen to your lies!"

I exhale through my nose, raising my voice over hers. "An empty concealer bottle. I know they can be found in the storeroom-"

She stomps her foot. "Just stop lying! I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"

"It was empty, but there's a way to prove that you were the one who used it!"

Everyone around us is silent, positively raptured. "Just give up already!" Rikimaru shrieks.

But I don't back down. "There was a struggle, we know that! If Matsumoto had bruises on him from it-"

"No!"

"Then so must the blackened!"

_"No!"_

I take a breath before shouting over her. "Concealer covers bruises!" She falls silent, instead shaking her head again and again. I lower my voice. "Rikimaru, I noticed you kept rubbing at your arms. If you washed them, concealer would come off to reveal bruising, wouldn't it?"

Out of the corner of my eye, Abe gives me an almost imperceptible nod of approval. Everyone else looks grim. Rikimaru stares at the ground, her face still red from shouting. "Perhaps it would be best to summarize the case from the beginning, make sure we didn't miss anything?" Saito suggests. To me, of all people. Why me? Miyuki's our leader, not me.

Still, I nod. I can't back down, not when everyone is looking at me. "Okay. Here we go.

"It was around one-thirty this morning. The blackened, having thought for some time on this, had slipped a note into Matsumoto's room perhaps hours before. This was what made him come to the dining hall to begin with. At that hour, it was locked, but the blackened always had bobby pins on their person. With one of those, they picked the lock, letting them both inside. Not long after, the fight broke out, hence the bruising on both Matsumoto and the blackened.

"What likely happened was that the blackened realized they wouldn't be able to overpower him, and hit him on the back of the head with their shoe the first chance they got. That was when the plug popped off and bounced away from where the fight was taking place. The force was enough to knock him over, and his nose broke when he fell. If he wasn't unconscious before, he was then. If the blackened had stopped there and left, there was no doubt that Matsumoto would tell us about it the following morning. However, this was premeditated; the blackened came prepared with rubber gloves from the storeroom. Before Matsumoto could regain consciousness, they put on the gloves, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and stabbed Matsumoto in the back using both hands to make sure they had enough force to kill him.

"Their shoe was broken, and they already had bruises forming. So what they did was leave, stowing the gloves in their pocket for the moment and picking the lock shut again, leaving the black flakes. However, the lock was still flimsy enough that it caved under the pressure we put on it this morning. They made a quick stop to the storeroom to get a bottle of concealer before going back to their room to apply it. They could've discarded the evidence in their own room after covering their bruises with enough concealer to last the entire day. But if Nakamura was collecting trash from everyone's rooms, he would've seen it eventually. And besides, if he was going to incinerate all of the trash, why not throw the evidence in the trash room?

"Except, the space between the gate and trash collecter was too long for them to throw the gloves and bottle into. With the gate there, they'd need precision accuracy in order to activate the incinerator. Instead of trying that, they aimed for the trash collector. They didn't even land inside the collecter, but rather, between it and the wall. There wouldn't be any harm in leaving it if nobody ever checked back there, right? So they left it and returned to their room until this morning. There was no evidence that could point to them- at least, until I found that very evidence. Matching up the bobby pins, plug, concealer, and bruising, it's evident that the culprit is Rikimaru Kirika, Super High-School Level Hairstylist!"

Stunned silence stretches across the room. Nobody moves a muscle. My heart beats so loud that I'm sure everyone else can hear it.

Rikimaru's shoulders tremble ever-so-slightly as she looks up, defeated. One of her hands drifts up to fix her hair. "Well, you got almost all of it right. Can't exactly expect perfection from someone who keeps their hair in that condition."

"No hung jury this time. That was as good an admittance as any." He doesn't ask, as I've come to expect from Aoyama. Nevertheless, he's right. She admitted her crime.

"So it is, and so time is up! Voting time, chumps!" Damn, I forgot about Monokuma! Buttons push out from a compartment in our podiums that I didn't notice before. There's one for each of us, little pixelated versions of us. Matsumoto's is the only one that's unlit. "Just push the button for the blackened and we're good as gold!"

Yasu studies the buttons. "What happens if we don't vote?" she asks, nerves obvious in her voice. I know why she wouldn't want to. We're condemning someone we consider a friend to death.

"Simple." Monokuma's red eye flashes briefly. "You die."

She gulps and nods, reluctantly pressing the button with Rikimaru on it. I do the same, and in no time, we all have, Rikimaru included.

"Not for nothin', but you got it right! The killer is indeed Hair Chick!" Monokuma laughs at his own joke. I ignore him.

I cross my arms protectively and stare at her, studying her. "So? What didn't we get right?"

She checks her nails, pretending to be disinterested. "Smaller details. For the record, the note you found in his room? That was a rough copy of the one he gave me." She takes a folded piece of paper out of her apron pocket. It's the same handwriting, but it's clearly addressed to her. "I was planning on taking his life either way. Maybe he thought he could stop me or something." She waves a hand in the air, dismissing it. Her nonchalance coupled with her silent anger is strange to watch. "I just went for it. I need the money."

It all connects back to the motive. Of course it does. I'm sure Monokuma is sitting pretty, knowing he was right. "What for?"

She snorts, crossing her arms. "Like you really want to know." She shifts her gaze away and sighs. "But it's for my own salon. I'd already have one if it weren't for the stupid compulsory education, and I want it to be as big as possible."

I wait for her to say more. She doesn't. "That's it?"

"That's it. Something about me is that I get my dreams no matter what the challenge is." She doesn't seem at all bothered by it- by what she did. That's- that's wrong. My stomach turns at the thought of it. I lean a little more heavily on my podium, worrying that my legs are going to give out from under me.

"Ahem! Not that this is particularly heartwarming, but I'm gonna stop this right here. I hope you all didn't forget what's coming next!" Rikimaru catches on before the rest of us, backing up towards the elevator and shaking her head. "Iiiiiiiit's PUNISHMENT TIME!"

"No!" she shrieks, but before she can do anything, Monokuma produces a gavel and swings it down on a red button.

Rikimaru looks at us frantically. We're all in a mass around her, our podiums abandoned. She doesn't reach out, but it's obvious that she wants to be saved. She wants us to save her. None of us can do anything but look on before a doorway opens in the far wall. A chain shoots out, a metal collar wrapping around her neck. She tugs at it, but can't get it loose. We watch in shock as it slackens for just a moment, then pulls back, fast. I hear her choke out a breath once it drags her into a new room, binding her to a wooden pole- stake?- with the excess chain wrapping around her body, holding her in place.

Execution of the Super High-School Level Hairstylist

~Just a Trim~

The room's floor is like a conveyor belt, I think. Monokuma shows up on one end of it, a comical moustache plastered onto his face. I think he's supposed to be a barber. He pushes a button, and the stake lurches to the side before gaining a steady speed. On either side of her are decoy Monokumas. Monokuma lifts his paws, barber scissors at the ready.

As each decoy passes, he whizzes around them, creating elaborate hairstyles. I don't really know the technical names for them. A fluffed, feather look. A spiked hairdo. A pompadour. A bowl-cut, with one spike sticking up. Extra feathery, like a lion's mane. He does the same thing as Rikimaru passes, all on her and quicker in succession. Drills. A ponytail. Pigtails, with little hair ornaments. Braids. He's working so hard he's sweating.

The decoys that passed through before her start to turn an angry red. Abe's eyes widen. "Look away!"

We do as he says. How can we not? He sounds so horrified, so desperate. I didn't think I'd ever hear him like that. I shield my eyes just in time, my muscles tensing as a blast blows my hair back. It's hot, making my clothes stick to my skin. By the time I open my eyes again, there's nothing left but a few meager flames and Monokuma with a wide broom, brushing hairs into a little pile.

Yasu cries out in shock, nearly doubled over, with tears streaming down her face. Sasaki holds her close, her arms protectively around her waist. Fujimoto's eyes are wide and watering. Hamasaki hides her face in the crook of his neck. Nobody moves, as much as I want to go find Miyuki and hold her just like I did this morning. God, was it only this morning? I don't even know what time it is now.

Monokuma hangs his head as he faces us. "Such a tragedy. Lives taken in their prime." He takes a moment before looking up, his familiar grin in place. "Well, what can ya do! That's life for ya."

A deep growl settles in the back of Maeda's throat. "You bastard! This is your fault!" He lunges forward, but Saito grabs the back of his jacket. "Wh-! Let me go!"

"Remember the rules. We don't need to witness another death today." Once she's sure her words have reached him, she lets go. He mellows out, kicking the floor instead with his hands shoved in his pockets. Still, Saito glares at Monokuma herself, the glare that could nearly shoot literal daggers.

Hamasaki lifts her head from Fujimoto and stops. "Did you hear that?" she asks, her voice thick and weary. She slowly tilts her face towards the ceiling. Her eyes search every bit of it, every tile. "There it is again!"

"I don't know what you're-" Yoshida cuts herself off as the noise grows louder, staticky. The PA system crackles to life, just audio this time. "Huh?"

If Monokuma is down here with us, who's operating the PA system?

I get my answer soon. "-ello?" a loud voice calls. With so much static, I can't tell if the person speaking is male or female. Actually, I can't tell much, especially not what they're trying to say. "We- to h- try to- calm!" The person speaking mumbles then, nearly indistinguishable, before trying again. "We- back- more!"

That's when the transmission, if that's what it can be called, cuts off.

I steal a glance at Monokuma. He's so pissed, literal steam pours out of his ears. Is that a side effect of being a robot? "Everyone, go take the elevator back to the main building," he snarls, sounding much meaner than before. His claws gleam under the artificial lights, claws I somehow didn't notice before.

He doesn't need to tell us twice. We file into the elevator, now one person lighter. That doesn't make it shake any less. I look around; everyone's quiet, in mourning. Yasu braces herself against one of the walls, her face twisted. One of her hands presses against her chest. "Are you feeling okay?" Fujimoto asks her in a muted voice. It carries easily across the elevator. I can't help but listen in; none of us can.

She forces a smile, speaking through gritted teeth. "Fine, thanks." She doesn't say more on the topic. None of us push any further, though I can't help but check in on her every so often. That's the extent of our conversation on the ride up. Nobody's in the mood to talk much.

It's around noon by the time we get back. I'm not hungry, and I'd rather not go back to the dining hall today if I can help it. Everyone passes right by it, not sparing a glance in it's direction. "I'm going back to my room," I mutter to Miyuki, though I'm sure we all are. "Let me know if you need anything."

Her melancholic figure disappears as I shut my door. The first thing I do after locking it behind me is head to my bathroom and throw up. This whole time, I've been playing the part of someone unafraid, put together. Clearly, I'm not. None of us are, except maybe Abe and Saito. But I'm quickly proving to myself that all I can really do is talk. I'm good with words; that's it.

I sit back on my heels, count backwards from ten in Spanish, Japanese, English, ten different languages until I've reached one hundred and my stomach feels normal again. Funny; before this, I couldn't recall the last time I'd thrown up. It was so long ago.

I freshen up as soon as I feel like I can stand again, brushing my teeth and changing into my much more comfortable pajamas. I'm ready to settle in for the next few hours, maybe just sleep or read, when my doorbell rings. I open it cautiously, Matsumoto still on my mind, to reveal Miyuki. She hasn't changed clothes, just ditched her skirt for the comfort of her leggings. "I'm sorry, I just- I can't be alone right now." She doesn't look at me. Instead, she stares at her hands, studying them as though they're covered in Matsumoto and Rikimaru's blood.

"Don't apologize. Come on in." I step to the side, giving her some space. She takes a tired look around, but already she seems more relaxed. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

She shakes her head, looking at my piles of books. I'm kind of glad she said no. I don't want to, either. I just thought I would offer. "You can really read all of those languages?"

"I can." I run my fingertips over a couple of the titles, reading them to myself.

"Can you read one to me?"

I pause, looking up at her. She's still not looking at me, though. I'm surprised at her request, but I nod. "I can't promise you'll be able to understand it, though, unless you want me to translate."

"No, just read it like it is. I just need the distraction." She selects one from the top of a pile; Spanish, my native language. A copy of _Don Quijote._ Classic.

I settle in on my bed, beckoning for her to come with me. I'm braced against the headboard, kind of, slipping down slowly. She lays next to me, her head resting on my shoulder. As I start reading aloud, she follows along as best as she can. "En un lugar de La Mancha, de cuyo nombre no quiero acordarme…"

**X-X-X**

"..."

"...Are you there?"

"Have you been watching? Listening?"

"..."

"It's harder than I thought."

"I didn't think anyone would die."

"..."

"I'll just have to do better. I have to."

"Nobody else needs to die."

SURVIVING STUDENTS: 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that on that! Shoutout to the poll guesses (1 for Saito) and a friend's guess (Maeda), though neither were correct in this instance. Thanks for playing this round!
> 
> I know my trial chapters are a bit on the short side, but they get everything done that they need to. And what could that strange transmission be?
> 
> I'm having a lot of fun with this. Please don't forget to let me know who you want to see have FTEs in Chapter Two so I can start writing those!


	6. Chapter 2 Part I

“Attention, students! It is now ten PM. Certain areas will be locked until morning. Despairful dreams!”

Wha-? Ten PM? Kind of ironic that the nighttime announcement would wake me up. I groan and sit up in bed. Miyuki stirs next to me, rubbing her eyes beneath her glasses. Her hair is kind of a mess; I imagine mine is, too. Nothing like bedhead, am I right? “Morning already?”

“Not quite.” I thumb through _Don Quijote_, still laying on my lap. Looks like we got through about fifty pages before falling asleep. Not bad. “That was, what, nine hours of sleep? I doubt we’re going to get any more.”

She covers a yawn with the back of her hand, pulling her knees to her chest. “Of course. Like my sleep schedule isn’t already messed up enough.” She raises a fist in a mock cheer. “Yay, oversleeping!”

I bookmark the page where we left off and lay the book on top of the nearest stack. “What should we do now? Everyone else is probably going to bed.”

As if on cue, her stomach starts growling. “Perfect, right after the dining hall closes,” she mutters, glaring down at her stomach.

“The storeroom has prepackaged snacks. Should we look there?” She considers this, then nods with a tiny smile. I take her hands and tug her onto her feet. “I doubt anyone else is going to be out now.” Especially not with our rules. And honestly, I only half care if anyone sees me in my pajamas. It’s not like that’s against the rules, and I doubt anyone cares anyway. “Let’s see if they have any Oreos.”

Miyuki laughs a little, kind of muffled. “I mean, technically I’m supposed to limit sugars and fats, but I’m also supposed to be on ice a few hours a day, so I guess it couldn’t hurt too much.”

As expected, the hallways are empty. Even so, we scurry down the hall, not wanting to be out there for too long. After everything that happened today, paranoia still sets deep in my gut, making me feel like I’m being watched.

Miyuki follows me through the storeroom’s aisles. I’m about ninety percent sure I saw Oreos here earlier, and I don’t want to be proven wrong. “You know, the only thing better than Oreos is my mom’s tres leches cake. That, truly, is the best thing on earth.” My voice fills up the space, echoing slightly. Totally random, of course, but it’s the best thing I could come up with that’s not related to today’s events.

“It sounds great.” Absently, she picks up a pack of trail mix and regards it for a second before setting it back down.

“It is. My abuela taught her how to make it when she was ten, and she tried to teach me, but I almost burned the kitchen down. That was the end of that.” Maybe this wasn’t such a good topic. My heart wrenches, thinking about back then and whether or not I’ll get to see Mom and Abuela again. Thankfully, the familiar blue package catches my eye, so I don’t have to continue. “Found them!”

Her eyes light up when she sees them. If she has to limit sugars, I wonder how long it’s been since she’s had one. “Great! And, y’know, being multilingual must be pretty cool. Is it hard to keep all of the languages straight?”

...Huh. I never really thought about it. “A lot of them are pretty similar, but I’ve spoken them long enough to tell the difference.” Well. Most of the time. “Sometimes I forget a word in the language I’m speaking in, though. It’s kinda like you knowing the difference between all those moves and routines.”

She laughs as we exit the storeroom, the sound echoing through the empty hallway. “Fair enough.” Soon after, though, she grows silent. “Camila.”

I stop picking at the packaging. “Yeah?” When I don’t get an answer, I follow her gaze to the barred stairs- only, they aren’t barred anymore. “When did those open?”

“I don’t know.” She paces towards them slowly, trying to look at what they might lead to. “Should we check it out?”

My instinctual answer is yes. There could be an exit there, after all. But on the other hand, we don’t know what we’re getting into, and we’re definitely not prepared. “No. Let’s wait for the others.”

She takes a moment, still trying to look up the stairs, before nodding. “You’re right. For all we know, it’s a trap Monokuma set. Besides, now that we have them, I want those Oreos.” When she turns to face me, she has the goofiest smile on her face. That, much more than melancholy, suits her.

“How much is this going to mess with our sleep schedules, do you think?” I ask as we walk down the dorm hallway. As silently as I can, I tear the rest of the top off the container.

“Given how much sugar we’re about to eat? Plenty.” She snakes her hand under mind, stealing an Oreo before I can. “Everyone’s gonna wonder why we’re so tired tomorrow morning.”

I shrug, unsuccessfully trying to twist the halves apart at the same time I unlock my door. “We have time if we want to sleep more. It’ll just be disjointed.”

She hides a yawn behind her wrist, her Oreo already mostly gone. “I might. All of this deviates so much from what I usually do. I better not forget any of my program for the next competition.”

I won’t say it. I won’t question whether or not we’ll be out of here in time for her competition. Neither of us needs that, not now. “If you will, then I will, but only once we finish these Oreos.” I twist another apart, dark crumbs sticking to my fingers. “We didn’t break the nighttime rule for only a couple bites.”

“More than just the one. The rule of three, not opening the door for anyone. None of our esteemed headmaster’s rules, though.” She makes a face and bites into another Oreo, leaving nearly no crumbs. “You’re quite the daredevil.”

“Am not.”

“Are too! Wasn’t this your idea?” She smiles with her lips closed. “Admit it, you’re a rebel on the inside.”

I smile back. She’s right, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to tell her that. “Never!”

All of the Oreos are gone by the time I do. Miyuki leaves shortly after to get more sleep. The silence that I’m left in is nearly deafening. No laughter or chatter, just me and my own breathing. I brush the few Oreo crumbs off of my bed and close my eyes, hoping for another quick, dreamless sleep to overtake me.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE V

“What’s the use of sweets? Nothing.”

“Eating is for survival and for survival only!”

“You don’t see bears out eating ice cream.”

“Moose don’t eat muffins.”

“Most importantly, mice don’t eat cookies!”

“...Eh? Why is that important?”

“Don’t ask me! I’m just in-flight entertainment.”

**X-X-X**

I had to wake myself up from nightmares more than once during the night. Miyuki being there was likely the only reason I didn’t have nightmares earlier. Despite that, somehow I’m one of the most well-rested. Even Aoyama and Saito look like they didn’t get much sleep at all.

Sasaki, Yasu, and Fujimoto gather food for breakfast. Nobody eats much of anything; I’m still full from the Oreos with my diminished appetite. I don’t doubt that everyone else still has the deep-set wrench in their gut from yesterday.

Nobody seems to be in the mood for talking, either, which is obviously understandable. Even though I was talking to Miyuki all night, that was mostly a distraction for myself. I don’t feel like a huge conversationalist this morning.

The two empty chairs drive everything home. The scuffs on the floor are all but gone. All remnants of the murder were scrubbed clean. Even the lock was fixed overnight, the door opening smoothly. Apart from the obvious absences at the table, it’s like nothing ever happened. Like Matsumoto and Rikimaru were never here to begin with.

I fold my hands in my lap, suddenly aware of their shaking and itching. Hardly anyone looks at anyone else. I feel like I need to say something, boost the mood somehow. Naturally, before I can, Monokuma saunters in, not even bothering to scare us. He examines us for a moment. “Why the long faces? Haven’t you ungrateful brats realized that you’re still alive? That you rid the world of a cold-blooded killer?”

“Shut up,” Yoshida growls, her eyes red and still wet. “_You_ caused this. Nothing would’ve happened if you hadn’t given the motive.” Her voice breaks on the last word. The motive is the last thing I want to think about. Or, at least, it’s up there.

He regards her, his expression entirely neutral. “Even without a motive, the game would’ve started eventually. But I’m not here to argue! I’m here to reward you for your performance during the trial.”

“Reward? You think we want a reward?” Maeda shakes his head, his gaze unfocused. I almost thought he wasn’t paying attention at all. “Yeah, right. Just go away.”

“I dunno, I think you’ll like this one.” He spreads his arms wide, though I don’t think he’s presenting anything physical. “Your world has now grown by one floor! Certain areas have opened for you to use at your discretion.”

Miyuki and I steal a glance at each other. Immediately, I know what she’s thinking about. This is why the stairway was open last night. That’s the new area? “I don’t suppose there’s an exit?” she asks hesitantly.

“Nope! Oh, and this section is added to the map of your e-Handbook. And that’s all I got! Go on and explore to your heart’s content!” He skips out of the dining hall, apparently pleased with himself and his performance. It was...considerably less awful than I thought it would be.

Oshiro rubs at her eyes, barely suppressing a yawn. “Can we take a nap first? I got like, no sleep last night.”

As expected. “We should do this first.” Miyuki’s insistent now, the familiar edge back in her. “Even if there’s no exit, there could easily be something that could help us. I’d rather find that now, wouldn’t you?”

“She has a point,” Ikeda agrees, his breakfast remaining untouched save for a few meager bites. Nobody has much of an appetite, either. “This shouldn’t wait.”

I wait to hear a dissenting opinion from Aoyama or Abe. It doesn’t come. Aoyama’s too focused on the camera watching us. Abe, on the other hand, is totally unfocused from anything. Both of them...why are they still such mysteries to me? “Let’s go in groups of three or four,” Miyuki continues. “Or should we all go together?”

“I’d feel safer if we went together,” Yasu says, her voice tight. Her gaze doesn’t lift from her lap. As one of the more empathetic of us, I’d expect her to be one of the most hard-hit. “Plus, we’d get a more detailed look of things with more eyes.”

“I second that,” Nakamura says. His mouth slips into a worried, concentrated frown. “None of us should be too alone now, given recent events. Should we vote?”

Miyuki shrugs, looking around at the quieter ones. Which, today, seems to be just about everyone. “Unless someone opposes, I think we’re fine going all together.” Nobody speaks up. “Okay, then. Let’s get going. We all need the distraction.”

Even though I fully expect Abe to be at the back of the group again, he surprises me. I can’t help but wonder how much he’s hiding in his silence, trapped in the middle of the group. Does he have a good idea of who the mastermind is? Or maybe what that weird message was about? I almost trip up the stairs studying him behind me, something that doesn’t go unnoticed. “Everything okay?” Nakamura asks, catching my elbow to steady me.

“As okay as it can be.” That’s not saying much, though. I take my arm out of his light grip. “I wasn’t paying enough attention, that’s all.”

He nods in understanding, the corners of his lips still pulled down slightly. “This won’t be easy to get through.” No shit. That’s like the worst thing you can tell someone. “But Ueda was right: there might be something that can help us escape, even if there’s no exit.”

From the immediate look of things, it doesn’t look like there will be anything. The hallway is nearly the exact same as the one below us, only now lit crimson. All that’s really different apart from that, I guess, is the layout.

To our left are bathrooms that could be found in any school. Why even use them? We have our own bathrooms in our dorms, and it’s not like we need to use them quickly between classes.

Next to the bathrooms is a large wooden door, worn, but not old. “Should we look around in there first?” Fujimoto asks, nodding towards the door. That seems like a better option to me; no sense in looking through the bathrooms.

“Good idea.” Carefully, Miyuki pushes open the door. We head in almost single file like in elementary school. One step in and I’m hit with a familiar and very welcome smell: books.

The room is filled with books, stacks lining each wall and shelves chock full of them. Kinda reminds me of what I always wanted my room to be at home, but we moved around so much that I never had much of a collection. In the center of the room is a desk with a lamp, but that’s about it. I don’t see anything else, not right away.

A quick look at everyone else tells me that they aren’t nearly as excited about this discovery as I am. Abe’s the only other one who looks mildly interested, which I kinda expected. We’re the only two bookworms here. “This is it?” Maeda wonders aloud, mildly disappointed. “Just a library?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘just a library,’ it’s got more books than I have in my room.” I run my fingers over the titles. Most of them are academic, not leisurely like in my room. I turn back to everyone. “I’ll be spending a lot of time here.”

Yoshida laughs, crossing her arms. “Nerd.” Not original, but at least it’s accurate.

Sasaki wanders back to us, having checked the perimeter. “No other doors, just the one exit.”

“Nothing else in here?” Abe glances up from one of the stacks of books on the ground. He was studying them intently, more than I was. “No archives, anything?”

“No.” I wince as Aoyama tosses aside a book he picked up. He could at least have a little more respect for school property. “Nothing of worth here or in this entire damn school. Let’s just get this over with.” Someone's obviously not happy. Can’t say that he’s any less infuriating like this.

Glances are exchanged before we all just shrug and head out. There’s really nothing more to do in the library. Further down the hallway, there are two classrooms, one on either side. “Let’s split up for this,” Hamasaki suggests, “so we can cover more ground.”

“Seven to a group,” Miyuki agrees. I end up with Saito, Abe, Yoshida, Oshiro, Ikeda, and Maeda. Pretty solid group, I think, even if it’s just for a little while.

This classroom is the spitting image of the one I woke up in. Desks, chairs, blackboard, monitor, security camera, teacher’s desk. And, of course, the boarded windows. I try tugging at one of the bolts, but they don’t budge one bit. It’s like someone with superhuman strength screwed them on. “Does the desk have any drawers?” I ask, wiping under my bangs with my forearm.

“None,” Oshiro calls from the teacher’s desk. “Well, they have drawers, but they’re completely empty.”

“I would almost expect something to be hidden in plain sight, but it appears that this isn’t the case.” Saito sighs, planting her hands firmly on her hips as she studies the rows of desks. I can clearly see the charm on her necklace now: a little bow and arrow, a visible remnant of her talent. Kinda cute.

“Nothing hidden, either.” Yoshida starts to stand up, accidentally smacking her head on the edge of the desk. “Motherf-”

“Nothing left on the chalkboard, no sign it was used,” Maeda interrupts, leaning against said chalkboard. “‘S like nobody was ever here.”

Ikeda shakes his head. “That’s ridiculous. This is Hope’s Peak Academy. It’s been open as long as I can remember.”

Of course. Everyone grows up hoping they’ll get into Hope’s Peak. Even growing up in different countries, I heard of how extraordinary Hope’s Peak students were. They’re the things of legends. “We should meet the others back outside,” Abe says, shooting a glare at the security camera. “The other group is probably done already.”

“Right.” Yoshida rubs the back of her head where she hit is, flinching a bit under her own touch. I hope she doesn’t have a concussion or something. “Hopefully there’s somewhere that has ice.”

Like Abe suspected, Miyuki and everyone else are already emerging from their classroom. “Find anything?”

“No, you?”

Dejectedly, she shakes her head, but a split second later she perks up again. “There’s still the rest of this floor, though! Still some hope.”

“Not much,” Sasaki admits, allowing her knuckles to bounce off the wall as we walk. “How would there even be an exit from the second floor?”

“Stairs,” Nakamura suggests. He points to a short hallway. “Like those.”

Oshiro steals a glance down towards the stairs, blocked off but going up to another floor. “So that’s Monokuma’s game,” she muses, clasping her hands behind her back. “Make us play to advance. Clever, clever!” She chuckles darkly, a stark contrast to her usual childlike giggles. Fujimoto and Hamasaki take a decisive step back from her. I can’t say I blame them.

“Naturally. He seems like the type to make us work for this,” Abe says, still moving forward. He and Miyuki both lead the pack now as we reach the end of the hallway.

To our left, there’s a large cut-out area with two doors. Above each, I notice immediately, is a mechanized weapon, likely some sort of gun. “What the hell?” Maeda mutters, paling at the sight. Upon further inspection, it looks like the same kind that was by the front entrance. “What are those for?”

“Simple! If ya don’t belong, those’ll put a hole right through you.” Hard to imagine, but I’m already used to Monokuma popping up out of nowhere. “That’s what your e-Handbooks are mainly for: entry to the locker rooms.”

“What if your e-Handbook is stolen?” Hamasaki asks, shifting her weight to her other leg. “Or someone who isn’t you has it.”

He huffs in what I assume to be frustration. I doubt he’s used to being questioned. “That’s why there’s a rule against lending them! If you don’t know, though, then whoever stole it could go around as you, easy as pie. So be sure to keep ’em close!” He snickers to himself and traipses off down the hall and out of sight.

Miyuki runs her hands down her skirt, smoothing it before pulling out her e-Handbook. “...Okay, then. I guess we’ll see you guys on the other side.” She swipes her e-Handbook over the sensor, which clicks green and opens the door. It swings shut and locks again as soon as she’s inside.

We all follow suit, scanning our e-Handbooks one by one and entering. Inside is a true locker room, complete with workout equipment and benches. On one wall, a poster of an old boy band is hung up. I vaguely remember them from when I was around twelve. They were huge then. After that, they just kind of fell off of the map. I wonder what ever happened to them.

“Should we keep going?” I ask. There’s really nothing else in here, and it’s kind of cramped with the six of us. “Wait, where’s Yasu?”

“She told me her e-Handbook is only set to her biological gender,” Sasaki explains with a sour look. “She has to go through the boy’s locker room.”

That seems kind of unfair to me. Before I can say so, Miyuki tugs on my arm. “Let’s go. I have a really good feeling about what’s here.”

The moment she steps out of the locker room, I hear her gasp. “What? What’s wrong?” Oshiro asks, wriggling past her. Which, really, isn’t hard given their height difference. She stops in her tracks next to Miyuki. “Whoa, check it out!”

The two of them make room for the rest of us to filter out. Now I know why Miyuki gasped: what we’re looking at is an indoor ice rink. “What sort of school has an indoor skating rink? And on the second floor, no less. Seems like a bit of an architectural issue,” Saito muses, twirling her charm between her fingers.

“Beats me.” Even though Miyuki is obviously taken by this, already looking around for skates, it does strike me as odd. I mean, there’s no reason for something like this, something as big as this, to be here. Even if it is Hope’s Peak Academy, this is a bit...extra.

“This...isn’t right,” Abe mutters, his arms crossed. He’s shivering a bit in the chilled air. I only have a few goosebumps; it’s not too cold to me. I’ve been in much colder weather. And besides, it probably feels a lot warmer after being on the ice for a while. He’s wearing warmer clothes than I am, though. Maybe he’s anemic or something.

When I move closer to ask what he means, he walks away. Is he...ignoring me? I guess inspecting this place is more important than answering my burning questions.

Who am I kidding? Of course it is.

I follow suit, going in the opposite direction. As far as I can tell, the seating is pretty standard. Nothing on, under, or beneath the rows. If it weren’t for the rules carefully scrawled on a sign with the Hope’s Peak logo, I’d think we were in an unaffiliated rink.

“Found the skates!” Miyuki waves with a bright, genuine smile. I don’t think I’ve seen her this happy until now. “Looks like there’s enough for all of us, too!”

“Wonderful, now we can skate our way out of here.” I notice, not for the first time, that Aoyama hasn’t moved an inch to help us investigate. Figures.

Fujimoto rolls his eyes without Aoyama noticing. Even he’s done. “I think it’s fair to say that there’s as good a chance as any for there to be clues here as anywhere else.” A mostly placating gesture, though also the truth. I like how he rolls. “Did you at least check the rules?”

I glance over my shoulder at them. At first, they seem pretty standard, not worth the time. Then I notice the actual times on there. The original hours have a strike through them. “So, what, the rink is open twenty-four-seven?”

“Yupperooni!” Monokuma hops onto one of the seats and reclines as though he’s tanning on a beach. The complete opposite of where we are. He really is strange. “I just thought that locked areas didn’t stop y’all from killing each other before, so why keep that extra barrier? Really, I’m making it all easier! What can I say except you’re welcome?”

Hamasaki makes a small noise, either out of interest or disgust. “Sounds like an earworm to me.”

I have no idea what she’s talking about, but Monokuma makes a small noise. “Anywhatsit, here’s hopin’ that one of ya is as gutsy as Hair Chick was! Makes my life more interesting.”

As he leaves, the air seems to thicken. The wounds from yesterday are still fresh. There was no need for him to prod at them. Or, rather, stab at them, destroying what little scar tissue there was. Miyuki exhales through her nose and sets down a pair of skates. “Let’s finish up. I can come back later.”

“Nothing more new on the map,” Nakamura says, “at least not on this floor. The bath house looks like it’s open, though.”

Yoshida whoops, loud and clear. “Girls get first dibs! Who’s in?” The rest of us cheer, myself included. I could really use something like that to clear my head. “Yasu, you in?”

Something strange crosses Yasu’s face, a mixture of surprise and something else. I don’t know about everyone else here, but it seems like Yoshida isn’t one to care what someone has in their pants. “I’ll, ah, think about it. Thanks for the invitation.” She appears to remember something in the middle of her sentence, her smile just barely flickering. As open as she seems to be with us, I still can’t help but feel like there’s something she’s not telling us.

Maeda pouts for a second before smirking, his eyes nothing if not full of mischief. “Can’t call dibs if you’re not there first!” He sprints to the locker room door and throws it open the second it unlocks.

“Oh _hell_ no!” Yoshida runs after him, her pigtails flying behind her. I can only hear them shouting until the locker room doors shut behind them, leaving them running down the hall.

“Should we follow them?” Sasaki asks, looking a bit like an exhausted mother. Or, probably more accurately, babysitter. I’m sure her herb garden never gave her this much trouble.

Miyuki barely hesitates before she nods. “There might be clues there anyway, right? Might as well try to catch up.”

Absolutely. Yoshida had better get there first. I need a good bath.

We take our time going back downstairs, checking and rechecking every nook and cranny in case we missed something before. And, as expected, we find nothing out of place. It’s almost boring to look at. I glance up at the cameras, always recording. I don’t think I’ve seen them off. “Who’s watching?” I ask no one in particular. I can’t believe I never thought of it before, but they have to be broadcasting somewhere, don’t they?

“Probably Monokuma,” Hamasaki answers with a shrug. “I doubt there’s anything capable of sending a broadcast out here.”

“What about that odd transmission?” Fujimoto points out, the three of us going down the stairs. “Sure, it was broken up, but it was something.”

“That was coming in, though, not going out. I think it’d be fairly easy to hack a PA system from a remote location.” She doesn’t sound like she believes what she says.

I shake my head. “No dice, not with the security on this place.” As much as I hate to admit it to myself, it was probably just a mixed radio signal. I catch another camera in my sights as we turn the corner, finding the open bath house. Inside the changing room, Yoshida and Maeda stand nearly nose to nose, anger oozing off of them. “So...who won?”

Their head whip towards us. “She cheated!” Maeda declares with a scowl. Yoshida scoffs, but he continues. “I don’t know how, but she did!”

We look to her next for an explanation. “Dumbass tripped over his own shoelace. I beat him when he faceplanted. Tell me, how is that cheating?”

“Your luck, obviously!” To me, it seems like Maeda is grasping at straws. If it’s really that big of a deal, though, the boys should just take the first turn. We don’t need something like this escalating.

“Look, I don’t know what rock you’re living under, but in case you haven’t noticed, my luck is only bad.” A note of bitterness creeps into her voice as she mentions her talent. “Oshiro will tell you. I told her all about my luck.”

Oshiro nods, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. “It’s like she broke a bunch of mirrors or something. The library will probably have ideas for good luck charms if we look.”

While she does look intrigued by that, Yoshida ignores it for the time being. “See! Told ya. Let’s get going, girls!”

We shoo the boys out of the room quickly. Yasu lingers for a second before fixing an apologetic smile on her lips. “I think I’ll sit this one out, but thanks for the invitation.” She slips out with a final wave, leaving the six of us alone.

Hamasaki hums a tune under her breath as she searches for towels. “We probably shouldn’t be too long if everyone else wants a turn.”

“Sure,” Oshiro says, distracted once more. Her eyes are kind of unfocused, but I try to follow her gaze anyway. “Hey, haven’t you noticed?”

“Noticed...what?” Saito turns in a quick three-sixty, examining the space around her.

She giggles, her eyes still unfocused, almost clouded. “No cameras. No way for Monokuma to see us.”

Instinctively, I look up to where the cameras are usually located. Like she said, there’s nothing there. “No way for Monokuma to see us…” Why would he bother? Why is this room any different than the others?

My gaze lands on the towel in Hamasaki’s hands. Oh. Right. My cheeks color a bit before I get my thoughts under control. “Well, this’ll come in handy,” Sasaki says with a shrug. “Though we don’t know if there are audio receptors anywhere in here.”

“Good point. Let’s not worry about it now, though.” Miyuki lifts her towel. “Let’s get our relaxation on!”

**X-X-X**

By the time we get out and redressed, my skin is completely wrinkled and it’s nearly dinnertime. The boys and Yasu are all in the dining hall, snacking on whatever they could find in the kitchen. “You’re up,” Yoshida says, passing by and lightly punching Maeda’s shoulder on her way into the kitchen.

“’Bout time you let us have a turn,” he complains, rubbing his shoulder. I doubt it actually hurts much; it’s more for his wounded pride.

I brush by Abe as he stands and lean in to whisper to him. “Pay attention to the cameras,” I say. His eyes search mine for a moment, longer than he has in the days before. He gives me a short, curt nod, his lips twitching a bit. Before I can tell if he’s onto something, anything, he leaves with the others. I’m a bit surprised that he wants to go at all.

This time, Yasu hangs back with us, having not finished her dinner yet. “We miss anything interesting?” I ask as I slide into my seat and grab a slice of frozen pizza from the center. I’m surprised it’s not completely gone by now.

“Not really,” she sighs, picking apart the edges of the crust on her slice. It’s nearly completely shredded. “Nobody talked much except for Maeda. I, um- I think Matsumoto was the most talkative of them before. He was the one to start conversations.”

If we were in high spirits, her words unintentionally put a damper on them. “We found a little something in there,” Sasaki said, leaning in and cupping her hand around her mouth and Yasu’s ear. Yasu’s eyes widen slightly as she tells her the same conclusion I guided Abe towards. Better we all know about it now so we can more easily utilize it.

“I think it’s a sign,” Oshiro says, happily taking a bite of her food. “Cuz it’ll be a safe haven, y’know? Somewhere to discuss more sensitive topics.”

“Sure, but what’s the sign part?” Hamasaki wonders. I wonder that myself, and I’m sure everyone else is. Besides, if Monokuma set this whole place up, there’s always the chance that this is a trap.

“Hm? Oh, I dunno. It just feels like one.” She goes back to her food without a second thought.

Yoshida regards this and shrugs. “Seems legit to me. One of those feelings you can’t quite place, something like that.”

All well and good- but the last person who had a feeling like that is now dead. A shiver runs up my spine as the image of his body lying there, only a few feet from where I am now, burns. I shut my eyes quickly, hoping that nobody notices the force behind it.

“Anyway, has anyone seen Monokuma after this morning?” Miyuki asks, not touching any of the food. I think about it for a second. Have I? “I didn’t think so. He’s been particular about his appearances.”

That’s definitely true, now that I think of it. He doesn’t show up for no reason. Only to tell us something, really. “What does that mean?” Sasaki asks. Her brow is scrunched, like she’s having trouble following.

“It means that Monokuma is being controlled by someone who can’t access him all the time,” Saito sums up. “In other words: one of us. Just as Abe said.”

Instantly, I flash back to Abe’s theory of the mastermind. This is undoubtedly evidence towards that, but I don’t want to bring it up without him here to explain his reasoning again. I don’t trust myself to get the finer details right.

Miyuki pushes her still-empty plate away and stands. “I can’t wait any longer, I’m going to the rink if you need me.” The glint in her eye is hard to ignore, especially as she leaves so quickly that none of us can react fast enough. Even with the conversation we were having, she can’t think of anything else.

“She’s eager,” Hamasaki says with a polite smile. “Didn’t even take any food.”

“A bit suspicious if you ask me,” Yoshida says, though none of us did ask her. “Leaving right after dropping that food for thought?”

No, that’s not right at all. “All she’s been talking about the last few days is skating. I don’t find it suspicious at all.”

“That’s true, did you see how excited she was to find the rink?” Yasu smiles, somewhat fondly. “She’s very passionate about her talent.”

Yoshida considers this while chewing. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m still all jumpy from last night.”

Once again, horrific scenes flash through my mind. This time, they last longer, showing the execution itself. “We all are,” Saito assures her. Well, as assuring as she can sound. “But is there anything we can do except push forward?”

“I guess not,” Sasaki sighs after a second, looking at Miyuki’s plate again. “Here, pass that down, I’ll make her something and put it in the fridge for her.”

I slide it down to her and pick up my own empty plate. “I think I’ll go join her,” I say, depositing the paper plate in the trash. “If I don’t see you before the nighttime announcement, have a nice night.”

A couple of them say it back to me, and I realize as I exit the room just how tired I am. My shoulders slump forward; my muscles feel weak. Putting on a brave face is more physically exhausting than I anticipated. I can barely make it up the stairs without leaning on the rail, and the whole time I feel like I’m being followed.

“Nobody’s there,” I tell myself, though the long hallway feels like it’s closing in on me. I move as fast as I can to the locker rooms. I only slow long enough to scan my e-Handbook to be let in. The feeling of being followed doesn’t lessen.

There’s a duffle bag on the bench with Miyuki’s clothes folded neatly on top of it. I remember her mentioning having practice clothes during the trial. Chances are, she changed and went into the rink itself, trying not to make too much noise. I can’t stand making noise when I’m alone.

A steady stream of music plays, coming from a portable CD player. Miyuki’s on the ice, not paying attention to anything other than her own movements. I can’t help but stop and stare as her routine progresses, all of her motions fluid. I may not know the technical aspects of this, but I do know that it’s definitely a phenomenal routine.

She stops when the music does, her pose in perfect form until she decides to break it. “Camila, I almost didn’t notice you come in,” she says, skating to the CD player to pause the next track. “What do you think?”

“It was- wait, shoot, what’s the word?” I try running through what I’m trying to say in Russian, but I keep coming up blank. I know that I know this word in at least three languages. I swear under my breath. “The word that’s like the wind knocked out of you.”

She doesn’t skip a beat before answering. “Breathtaking?” An amused smile dances on her lips as I nod. Way to ruin the moment. “I’m glad you liked it.” She comes closer, and for the first time I notice that she looks different. A good different. Her outfit is a lot more form-fitting, showing off her lean muscle, and her hair is bunched into a ponytail. She’s not wearing her glasses, either. There’s nothing blocking her face from view. “You should join me.”

“Skating?” She nods, skating backwards and beckoning to me. “I don’t-”

The locker room door bangs open. I jump, almost crashing into the wall. “Sorry, didn’t mean to do that,” Nakamura apologizes, stepping out from the doorway. “Abe wants us all in the dining hall for a few minutes.”

We exchange a glance. She shrugs and comes off of the ice, starting to unlace her skates. “Did he say why?”

“Just that it couldn’t wait any longer.” He doesn’t hang around, and instead makes his way back into the locker room. 

We follow suit. Miyuki doesn’t bother changing back into her regular clothes. “I’m just going to change into my pajamas anyway if I don’t have time to shower,” she says, scooping up the duffle bag and her other belongings.

“Fair enough. Better go see what Abe wants.” I didn’t even think the boys would be back from the bath house yet. She glances at me funny as we start down the hall. “What?”

“Nothing, just the tone you used. If I’m not mistaken, you want to get to know him better, right?” I nod. “Is it, perhaps, that you have a crush on him?”

I nearly fall down the stairs, I’m so shocked. “What? No! No, I just want to know why he is the way he is, you know?” Ever since that first conversation we had. He’s too complex for me to not want to find out all about him. Though I guess I can see why she misinterpreted it.

Her laugh bubbles through the air. “I’m just joking, don’t worry!” Her lips settle into an amused smile as I roll my eyes and shove her shoulder lightly. “Oh, we’re the last ones here.”

Not really a surprise. Everyone’s eyes land on us. “Thanks for finally showing up,” Aoyama grumbles as we take our seats.

“Anyway,” Abe says, cutting a glare at him. “I wanted to discuss our self-imposed rules. I think it’s fairly obvious that some of them aren’t being followed, so we should reevaluate them.”

“What do you mean by obvious?” Ikeda asks, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He already looks checked out, despite apparently paying attention.

He counts the details off on his fingers. “We don’t have three people preparing breakfast in the morning to ensure nobody tampers with the food. Hardly anyone sticks with groups of three people. And I have reason to believe that someone was out during nighttime last night.”

I stiffen, fighting the urge to look over at Miyuki. How did he know? Did he see us? “Yeah, pretty sure everyone was trying to sleep then,” Oshiro says, obviously not concerned about being as attentive as Ikeda is. “Nobody would dare go out after what we saw yesterday.”

He waves it off. “We can come back to that later. I don’t think that’s the most important point here.”

“I noticed that, too,” Sasaki says, absently folding a napkin. “I wondered if we weren’t using them anymore.”

I can say with certainty that I haven’t been following some of the rules we set. “It’s kind of absurd to ask us to stay in groups of three at all times,” I say, but not without a note of hesitance. After all, wasn’t this one of the rules I thought well of before?

“All I’m saying is that we all agreed to them. So why isn’t anyone following them?” He definitely seems irritated, a contrast to his normally collected image. Does this really get under his skin that much? “At this point, we either keep them or get rid of them.”

“I don’t really see the point in getting rid of all of them. The rule of three is good for getting food; we should enforce that one.” Miyuki’s a bit uncomfortable; I can tell by the way she’s fidgeting under the table again. As our leader, she’s caught in the middle of Abe and, quite likely, the majority. “Ishikawa is right about going around with three people at all times. That’s a bit much to expect. It would probably be better to reevaluate them all.”

“Can we do this tomorrow?” Aoyama asks in a bored monotone. It’s strange not to hear cockiness in his voice. It hasn’t been there all day, not since yesterday. Actually, he seems more akin to who he was right before he introduced himself to me: less confident, almost panicked. No, definitely panicked. Which part of it is a show? “The dining hall is still open, but I’m sure some of us would rather catch up on lost sleep.”

Yoshida stifles a yawn, pressing the back of her wrist to her lips. “That, at least, we can agree on. No guarantee it’ll be any better tonight, though.”

“Might as well try,” Yasu points out, barely able to contain a yawn of her own. She looks over at Abe with both an apology and pleading in her eyes. “This’ll be the first thing we talk about tomorrow. Until then, all of the rules will remain intact.”

Miyuki nods in concession. Abe, however, still doesn’t look convinced, not until Yasu’s expression morphs into one that reminds me of puppy-dog eyes. He lets out a long exhale. “Fine. We’ll table it for tomorrow.”

She and I exchange a glance as Saito speaks up. “If it bothers you that much-”

“No. Get sleep, and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” His tone doesn’t lighten, but he stands and leaves, running a hand through his hair. We watch him go, all of us silent. We’re all at a loss for words.

“Something’s up with him,” Oshiro yawns out, resting her chin in her hands. “Kinda paranoid.”

Ikeda shrugs, still looking out the door. “That’s warranted, isn’t it? A healthy sense of self-preservation.”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s something more…” Her head slips out of her hand before she jerks up, her eyes wide and only semi-alert. “The answer is forty-three!”

Yoshida laughs, tugging Oshiro to her feet. “C’mon, we all need the rest. Night, everyone.”

I yawn into my hand as everyone else starts to follow suit. “Hopefully tomorrow is better,” Fujimoto says, reminding me of what Sasaki said before: cautiously hopeful. Though, now that I think of it, that was a different situation. That was before yesterday.

Everything replays again and again and again around me and behind my eyelids as I walk back to my room. I don’t fully realize that my eyes are tearing up until I get to my room. They stay that way until I’m in my pajamas and in bed.

Only then do I let them fall.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE VI

“Everyone’s so uptight nowadays.”

“So stuck in their world views…”

“Never open to new situations!”

“It feels like just yesterday that it was the opposite.”

“Like, a little murder never hurt anyone!”

“Where’s everyone’s sense of adventure?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait with this chapter! I figured I'd put some time between the end of Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2 to give me time to finish editing 2 and start writing 3. I'm excited for this one, yall, and I hope you are too!
> 
> Please don't forget to tell me who you want for FTEs!


	7. Chapter 2 Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'VE GOT FANART YALL https://oh-great-another-blog-posts.tumblr.com/post/615321444861263872/mythgirlimagines-let-me-know-if-you-want-anything (much better than what I've done so far lmao)
> 
> Also, here's a reference for where everyone is in the trial room and dining hall: https://mythgirlimagines.tumblr.com/post/615316593510105088/trial-and-dining-hall-positions-shouldve

There's a lot of noise coming from down the hall when I step out. I didn't bother looking at my face first; I'm sure I look like a mess. Yoshida's door is slightly ajar; that's where the noise must be coming from. It's really loud, like she's...screaming..._shit._

I'm not the only one who rushes over when I hear it. Abe is only a few steps behind me. "Yoshida!" I open the door quickly and step inside, only to find Yoshida, still in her pajamas, standing on her bed and cursing out Monokuma. "Um...what's going on?"

"Monokuma just appeared in my room and woke me up!" Her glare doesn't lessen any. "Scared me half to death."

He blinks up at her, trying to look innocent despite being the exact opposite. "Promise?"

Yoshida looks like she wants to stuff a pillow over his face and smother him. Abe crosses his arms, wearing the same irritated expression he was wearing when I met him. Some things don't change, I guess. "What, pray tell, are you doing in Yoshida's room?"

"Handing out the last piece of the motive. What rotten luck that she just happened to wake up! I would've already been done by now." He huffs, tossing a sleek black tablet onto her bed. "Whatever. I'm over it. Explanation to follow."

She climbs down from her bed and picks up the tablet between her thumb and index finger like it's something nasty. "Motive. Wonderful."

"Don't do anything with that yet." It's a snap decision, but I think it'll work. "Bring it with you to the dining hall. We'll talk about them there before we do anything."

A tiny grin splits her face. "You got it, Boss. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get dressed." She shoos us out into the hall before shutting the door completely, sealing all the noise inside.

"We should catch everyone on their way to the dining hall," I continue, not even sure if Abe is listening. "If we didn't notice the tablets, I don't think anyone else will without them being pointed out."

Abe studies me for a moment. There's a very minute shift in his eyes. "I suppose that makes sense. Let's grab ours quickly first, then I'll watch by the trash room in case anyone goes by that way."

A plan of action. Not to mention, that was relatively painless. See, I knew we could get along if he gave it a shot. At this point, I don't even know if the morning announcement played yet. It's entirely possible that I either slept past it or got up before it.

The tablet itself doesn't seem to be anything special. I didn't even notice it among the books on my desk. Oh- I guess that means that Monokuma was in my room while I was sleeping. That's totally not creepy at all.

I bring it with me outside, keeping watch. It takes a while, but I make sure that all fourteen of us are accounted for and have our tablets. Hopefully Miyuki doesn't mind that I made this call.

Abe comes back to me after about a half hour. Now, at least, I can be certain that the morning announcement has played; Oshiro wouldn't be up otherwise. "Everyone from my hall is accounted for."

"Same here-" I pause, redoing my mental math. "Wait, no, I haven't seen Ueda yet. Have you?" He shakes his head. I nearly panic, but then I remember what we found yesterday. "She probably already went to the ice rink and straight to the dining hall from there. So if she's not there, she's at the rink."

"Noted. Let's check the dining hall first." His tablet is at his side, his grip almost slack, like it's an afterthought. I can imagine how that would be the case. Still, I can't keep my grip from tightening as we walk.

I'm relieved beyond belief when Miyuki emerges from the dining hall almost as soon as we get there. "Where did all of the tablets come from?" she asks, noticing that we each have one as well.

"They're the motive. There should be one in your room somewhere." I look down sheepishly for a moment. "I may or may not have made a call about this. Sorry."

I'm afraid of what she'll say until she actually says something. "That's good, definitely saves time. Don't be sorry; you've got good intentions in mind." When I look back up, she smiles and nods in approval. "I'll go grab mine, then. Wait for me to start?"

"Naturally. We need everyone present for a discussion like this," Abe interjects before going into the dining hall. I follow close behind, taking my seat and grabbing an orange. He, I note, takes nothing.

"So, what's up with the tablets?" Maeda asks as soon as we sit down. "How did they even get into our rooms?"

Yoshida snorts, obviously still uncomfortable with what she'd woken up to. "You haven't heard? Monokuma snuck into our rooms while we were sleeping to leave them."

Everyone looks both horrified and disgusted by that. As I'd expect them to be, really.

Miyuki returns before more can be said, placing her tablet on the table in front of her. "Not to change the subject from whatever it was, but do we know what's on these?"

"We could boot them up to find out," Ikeda suggests, drumming his fingers on the screen of his tablet. "That would clear things up quickly."

"But if it's a motive, wouldn't it be better to not turn them on?" Sasaki points out. She's exactly right, too. Doing anything with these will be playing right into Monokuma's hands- again. We can't afford to lose anyone else.

"It would probably be a lot better to leave them be, at least for now. It's not like Monokuma can force us to watch them." While Miyuki is technically right, I'm sure he'd be able to find a way to make us.

Yoshida snaps her fingers and turns to me and Abe. "That's right! Didn't he say he was going to call us down to the gym to explain the tablets?"

Oh, yeah. Right. "If that's really the case, he'll likely call us down within the next hour," Abe says. His plate is still empty.

Maeda groans, burying his head in his arms. "Can't he just leave us alone?"

"He wouldn't." Aoyama seems a bit more like his usual self today. I don't know if that's supposed to be a comfort or not. "His entire thing is this being a game to him. We're just his pawns; no way he'll leave us alone, not until someone wins."

"Someone wins, as in graduating?" Yasu shakes her head in disbelief. Of course graduation implies a successful murder.

Aoyama folds his arms. "All I'll say is that I don't plan to lose."

When did he start thinking about this again? Why did he? All Miyuki and Yasu and everyone else are trying to do is keep the peace so nobody else has to die. Nobody else _should_ die.

_Yeah, because that worked so well last time._

My stomach flips. I put down the last section of my orange, not fully unnoticed. But instead of it being Miyuki who notices, like usual, it's Sasaki, who looks like she's taking a mental note.

Three minutes of relative silence pass as everyone else finishes their meals. The monitor blinks on with a warning bell. Everyone looks up to the screen in equal parts annoyance and indifference. "Everyone, gather in the gym at your earliest convenience! And by that, I mean right now!"

Of course he's ready. That's the only thing that could make this worse.

_Save for another murder._

God, what is wrong with me today?

"Let's get this over with," Nakamura sighs, standing up and leaving with his tablet in hand. We all follow suit, trudging along to the gym in silence. There's a depressed, anxious sort of air on and around us. I hate it.

And still he keeps us waiting a good minute or so to actually show up. Because of course. His gaze sweeps across us, all scattered across the gym in splintered groups rather than in one mass. "Why all the long faces? Today's a beautifully murderous day!"

"Just tell us what the motive is so we can leave," Fujimoto says, playing with both the tablet and his notebook. I note the slight shakiness of his voice.

Monokuma scoffs, shaking his head. "That's no way to talk! Not when the motive of all motives could be in your hands!"

"Why phrase it like that?" Saito asks, shifting her stance. "'Could be.' Aren't the tablets the motive?"

Aren't they? Unless… "They are, but they aren't," I say, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

He points to me with one of his paws. "And Red's on the board with a point! I knew either you or Blue would figure it out!"

"What does that mean? Tell us!" Oshiro demands, stomping her foot like a little kid throwing a tantrum. Her hands curl into fists around bits of her jacket, crumpling it.

Monokuma tsks at her. "A little patience goes a long way, you know!" He spreads his paws in presentation, though once more he has nothing to present to us. "Thirteen of the fourteen tablets are completely blank, nothing on them! The fourteenth, however, shows the outside world. And that knowledge is just to die for! After all, I'm sure you're all curious as to why help hasn't come."

Six days. Nearly a week since we woke up here. If help was going to be arriving, it should've already.

"So your motive hinges on us powering up the tablets." Abe looks full-on incredulous. "You realize that there's a very good chance of none of us opening them."

"Like I said before: I'm not worried about this one." He laughs, long and hard. "Curiosity always gets the better of people, and imagine how that'll fuel the jealousy you'll feel when you find out who has the motive!"

I don't know about anyone else here, but curiosity is in my nature. I'm actually a bit worried about this motive, more than the last. I study the tablet in my hand intently. Will this by my downfall? In the time I take to do that, Monokuma disappears without a trace.

"Let's continue what we're doing." Miyuki's voice is a bit strained, but still confident, leader-like. "Don't open them. If we're all on equal standing, we should be fine."

Again, I notice her wording and the seed of doubt laced in it. After Rikimaru took the last motive, anything could happen this time. Just as there's no reason to believe nobody will take it, there's no reason to believe nobody won't. We don't know each other well enough for that.

My stomach turns again. All of a sudden, the room starts spinning. I feel like I'm about to keel over. "I'm going back to my room. I don't feel well." I don't look to see if anyone follows. I almost hope they don't.

The entire way back, my knees feel too weak to support me. I lean hard against the walls when I can, nearly collapsing a few times. My hands shake when I try to insert my key into the lock. My stomach clenches as I lay down on my bed. The ceiling looks like it's spinning a little. I'll probably pass out if I try standing again right now.

Time passes slowly. I don't feel like reading, not in the least. Translating will definitely give me more of a headache. I don't go to the dining hall for lunch. I think I'll actually throw up if I eat or drink anything more than that orange. All I want right now is the sleep that for whatever reason refuses to come.

A knock comes to my door a few hours after. It takes me a minute to get to the door and open in. "Oh my god, you look awful." Sasaki covers her mouth with her free hand as soon as she says that. "Sorry, I shouldn't have- that just came out."

"What do you need?" I ask, bracing myself against the doorframe so I hopefully don't pass out. At least she's spinning a little less than the room was earlier.

She holds up a couple small white bottles. "I brought some medicine from the nurse's office if you want it."

Ah, yeah, I almost forgot that she's one of the appointed nurses. "Come in." I wobble a little as I turn, and I feel her slip her arm around my waist, helping to keep me steady. She's surprisingly strong.

I sit back on my bed and take a quick look at the medicines she brought. One for fever, one for headache, one for general symptom relief. I choose the latter, hoping it'll be the one to help the most. She finds a paper cup in my bathroom and fills it with water for me. "Thank you."

"No problem. I would've made something out of the mini garden in my room, but I didn't know what your symptoms were, exactly." She puts the caps back on the bottles and collects them into her arms. She's halfway to the door before she pauses and turns. "Oh, right. In case you're interested, Ueda is arranging a full day of skating tomorrow. Just thought I'd let you know, in case you feel up to it." She bows her head quickly before leaving, the door shutting behind her.

I do start to feel better after about half an hour, but I stay in bed. I don't want to chance overexerting myself or eating anything that'll make this worse. I continue to lay there with my light off, no sound. It's almost nice- though it would be nicer if I weren't staring the motive straight in the face.

Curiosity courses through my veins. I know we agreed not to. I know how dangerous the motive can be.

But if I keep it to myself, can it really hurt?

I can't see a world in which I murder someone in cold blood, so I pick it up and put it on its side. That way, I can see it upright as I lay on my side. Another minute of deliberation passes, and then I press the button to power it up.

The screen flashes, acknowledging the command. The loading sign appears, then stays steady at 99%, then turns black with white text across the screen. "Sorry, this is not the motive," I whisper to myself. I should be relieved. I won't have a target on my back. But all that means is that someone else will.

I do nothing more than stare at the screen for the rest of the day, the words repeating in my mind over and over.

Not the motive.

Not the motive.

Not.

The.

Motive.

Then whose is?

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE VII

"Some people are just jerks."

"They'll say anything to get their way, manipulate anyone."

"But bears? They don't do that."

"Bears are better than people."

"Don't you think that's true?"

"Don't you think I'm right?"

**X-X-X**

The motive still weighs heavily on me in the morning, but at least I feel a lot better. The medicine Sasaki brought really helped. I'll have to remember to thank her.

"Ishikawa. Feeling better, I assume?" Saito asks as I enter the dining hall, sipping a steaming cup of tea. She and Abe are the only ones in here.

"Much, thanks." I take my seat and glance at the empty one to my right. "Um, Ueda's probably at the rink again, right?"

"If you're wondering whether or not you should worry about her, don't." I'm almost surprised at how harsh Abe's words come out. "I'm positive that all of us have the willpower to not turn a tablet on. We're safe from the motive."

Except that I didn't have the willpower. He shouldn't be so certain. And obviously, nobody's going to own up to watching the video if they had it. Still, his words…

I look a bit closer at him. The bags under his eyes look worse than they did when I first noticed them. How much sleep has he been getting? There's no way that's healthy. But then again, I don't want to be the one to call him out over it.

The room stays mostly silent as everyone shows up, at least until Oshiro and Yoshida come in. The moment Oshiro sees Maeda, she shakes her head. "Dead man walking," she mutters in a singsong voice before taking her seat.

"Will you stop?" Maeda grumbles, turning in his seat to face her. "I told you, that legend is a bunch of bull!"

"I'm sorry, I don't want to tempt what's obviously fate!" she says, scooting her chair a little more away from him than she already was.

"What's up with that?" I ask Ikeda, who just looks tired and resigned about the issue at hand.

He glances over at them and shakes his head. "By chance last night, we all had dinner around the same time, so there were thirteen of us at the table. Maeda got up to leave first, and Oshiro just kind of went ballistic. She said something about a legend saying that when thirteen people dined at the same table, the first to rise would be the first to die."

"Which means nobody gets up until Ueda gets here!" Oshiro declares, obviously having heard us. "There's thirteen of us here now and I will _not_ have another death prophecy!"

Wow. I know I noticed it before, but she really gets serious when it comes to this stuff. It's a good thing the fruit is already out, so I don't have to get up. Hopefully nobody needs to use the bathroom anytime soon. "Got it, no death prophecies," Sasaki agrees, shifting uneasily. "Ueda will probably be here soon, anyway."

"In the meantime," Aoyama interjects in his loud voice, and already I have a bad feeling. "Did anyone check their tablets? Anyone give into the temptation?"

"No, and frankly, I don't know how it would be considered a motive," Fujimoto says. His pencil taps lightly against the table. "I mean, a video only one person gets?"

Abe makes a tent with his hands, just like a history teacher I once had did when he was lecturing. "It's like this: the one person who has it has that information about the outside. If they choose to divulge that they have the video, they have the means to fill the rest of us with envy. That could drive any of us to murder. Or the video itself will convince the recipient to kill. Additionally, the mere thought of anyone possibly having the video puts everyone on edge, which in turn makes it easier for, ah, _accidents_ to happen."

He's...really thought about this, hasn't he? "That was thorough," Nakamura says, his eyebrows raised. "You seem to know a lot about people."

Abe sighs, his eyes pointed towards the ceiling. "History, also known as social studies, as in studying people and cultures." Sounds like he's had to explain that before, and that he's not really happy about having to do it again.

Lucky for us, before the situation can get any more awkward, Miyuki comes in, a definite spring in her step. "Who's ready to skate?" she asks, super excited. I grin up at her. She's definitely a force to be reckoned with this morning.

"Good, you're here." Oshiro breathes a sigh of relief and leans back in her chair. "Sit down so we'll have fourteen."

"Okay, I guess." But she practically vibrates in her seat, she's bouncing so much. "I mean it, though! I set the rink up, so even if you don't know how to skate, I'll teach you!"

Aoyama yawns loudly and obnoxiously. "Pass."

"I'll be there," I say quickly, shooting him a glare I'm sure he doesn't see. "I haven't been skating in years."

A good portion of us are going, most of us except for Aoyama, Hamasaki, and Fujimoto. And the only reason the latter two aren't going is because they want to prepare a musical performance for us. I can tell just by looking at her how excited Miyuki is about this, so there's no way I'll be missing it. "I'll be there all day, so feel free to come by whenever."

"I'm ready to go now," Yoshida says with a wild grin. "I don't want to wait any longer!"

Miyuki's smile can't possibly get any larger. "Let's go, then!" She, Yoshida, and I are the only ones who get up right away. I suspect most of the others will be there later, and not for nearly as long as the three of us will be.

Miyuki talks excitedly the entire way to the rink. Quite honestly, I'm not paying too much attention to the details, but Yoshida nods and asks questions in all the right places. I'm more occupied with what was being discussed before.

This motive, even more than the last, is all about deception. It's too important to ignore. And even though I know she's excited to have her days back on schedule, if she doesn't do something a leader would, like talk about it, the others are going to think she's avoiding it. Which, I hate to say, is likely right on the nose, given the amount of time she's spent on the ice already.

I wonder if she looked at her tablet.

"-don't need to change if you don't want to, but I brought winter stuff up here," I catch her saying as we wait to get into the locker room. "I can just see better with my contacts and my hair out of my face."

Yoshida nods, swiping her e-Handbook. "Gotcha. I'm fine with pigtails, then." Her outfit looks prepared enough anyway; just torn jeans, a t-shirt, and a scarf from the pile of winter clothes.

I glance down at my knee-length skirt. ...I can probably risk it. I don't plan on falling too often. Good thing she brought coats up; I'd be freezing otherwise.

It's easy to tell that Miyuki is in her element the moment we step inside. "Make sure your skates are on tight," she instructs us as we search for pairs in our size. "That way, you don't run as much risk of hurting your ankles, but they'll likely be sore later anyway."

She's already on the ice by the time we're done lacing up. I guess that doing it for so long makes her pretty fast at getting ready. I can feel myself start to fall the moment I step out. I grab the low wall of the rink before that can happen. Yoshida looks like she's putting in some effort, but she doesn't look shaky at all. "This is easier than I remember," she remarks with a grin, gliding along.

"Harder than I remember." I keep one hand near the wall, ready to steady myself when I need to. Miyuki skates up next to me and offers her hands. I take them, sighing to myself. "You must think this is pretty pathetic."

"I've seen worse." Amusement dances in her eyes as she pulls me along. I can't imagine skating backwards like she is. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"So am I." I don't even know what caused it. Stress? It couldn't have been a virus, I would've had to get that from someone else.

Yoshida skates around us with a smirk. "Okay, you two, break it up. You're almost as bad as Fujimoto and Hamasaki, really."

Miyuki's cheeks redden furiously, and she drops my hands. Hers clasp behind her back while mine drop to my side. At least I'm not unsteady now. And I'm definitely warmer than before…

She snickers at our reactions, turning and waving as one of the locker room doors opens. I skate alone as Miyuki helps get the newcomers situated.

Thankfully, the rink is big enough for everyone to be able to move freely without bumping into each other. I expect everyone to be at least as decent a skater as Yoshida, but there is one surprise in the mix.

"Need some help?" I ask, holding a hand out to steady Abe. He's apparently worse at this than I am, but he pushes my hand away and straightens himself. I skate alongside him anyway, just in case. And maybe out of curiosity. "Have you checked out the library any more?"

He nods, keeping his eyes ahead of him. "Not much in there that's helpful to us, at least that I've found."

I look at him strangely. "You didn't even look for something to read for yourself? Why only do it for the game?" Why think about the game when there's perfectly good fiction to distract ourselves with?

His eyes grow cloudy. "Because I seem to be the only one here who wants to get out alive." He skates off from me, still wobbly. Before I can go after him, Miyuki catches my eye. I skate a bit closer to her.

"I think I'm going to head in soon," I tell her, my arms wrapped firmly around my torso. "I don't want to push it, you know?"

A lie. Still, she nods with a knowing look. "Skating when sick sucks. Come find me if you need anything."

I nod and force a smile, wondering if I'm a good liar or if she's too trusting.

I head out unnoticed once my skates are off, shedding my coat in the locker room. My ankles already feel sore, almost unbalanced. Even with the ice, it was starting to get warm in there, so I welcome the cool draft of the hallway. I breathe it in, rolling my shoulders back. Now, to get on task.

If there's one thing I know about old-looking libraries like ours, it's that they usually have a secret to them. I've been in a fair share of dead-end secret passages my friends in other countries have shown me. A lot of them were dusty and some were blocked off partway through, but at least one had a secret exit. So maybe, if I know where to look, I'll find ours.

The library is even chillier than the hall, but still pleasantly so. I must still be running a slight fever. As expected, there's nobody else in the library. Mostly everyone is still at the rink. I figure I'll be alone for a good bit of time. The less people around, the less I have to explain my train of thought.

I start by moving the random stacks of books away from the walls. That'll give me a more clear view of the walls; you never know if there's a hidden door. That alone takes about twenty or so minutes, probably more. Only now do I realize how big this library is. And _wow_, there really are a lot of books.

I scan the perimeter now that all of the books are away. Nothing catches my eye right off the bat. Didn't really expect it to. I run my hand along the wall, feeling for any small discrepancies. At the very least, there should be an archive. I wondered only briefly before why there wasn't one. Especially a school like Hope's Peak should at least have an archive of yearbooks from past classes. They could probably fill an entire archive with those alone.

"What do you think you're doing?" I kick over a stack of books as I turn quickly. Aoyama stands just inside the door, irritation and the barest hint of curiosity laid out on his face.

"Looking for an exit." It sounds stupid when I say it out loud. It just looks like I made a mess.

He makes a noise that sounds like a cross between a scoff and a laugh. "You still delirious from that stunt you pulled yesterday?"

My eyebrows knit together. "I wasn't delirious and it wasn't a stunt, thank you very much." At least, I don't think I was delirious. Maybe I should check with Sasaki on that. "And I happen to be serious about this. There might be a hidden exit or something in here."

I right the books I knocked over and go back to my search, but I can hear him stifle a laugh. "This isn't some fairy tale, Ishikawa. I doubt there's a secret passage."

Now would be the perfect moment to find one to prove him wrong. Of course, that fails to happen. "Why are you here? Just to bother me?"

"You wish." No, I really don't. "I'm here looking for some reading material."

I look at him out of the corner of my eye. "You don't seem like the type." I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover- pun intended- but I can't help it this time around.

He picks a book off of a shelf, and immediately I know he's bluffing. "You don't know me. For all you know, I love reading this. It's one of my favorite books."

I don't even bother looking at him over my shoulder. "That's a dictionary printed in German."

Seconds later, I hear the book hitting a pile. He abandoned that lie fairly quickly. "You sure are nosy."

I start shoving the piles back. Kinda disappointing that I didn't find anything. Then again, the only secret passage I can think of is one leading to the mastermind's headquarters. The library seems inconspicuous enough to serve that purpose, but evidently not. "Well, I'm done now. The library's all yours."

He stays still and watches while I push the final few piles back. He doesn't say anything, doesn't even look like he's going to. Fine by me, I finish quickly and leave without another word spoken between us. At this point, I don't even care why he was there. I just want a nap. Interacting with him drains my energy.

I notice as I walk by that Hamasaki's door is open. She and Fujimoto must still be working on their collab; I can hear the soft strumming of her guitar and some murmured whispers between them. I can't wait to see what they can come up with together. Two Hope's Peak students working together on something like that are sure to make something great.

I slip into my room and make a mental note to not actually fall asleep. I don't want to miss dinner tonight. My naps have never really included sleep; they're more like little rest periods where I just relax. We used to have _siestas_ in my family, especially whenever we were in Spain, but I pretended to sleep and read instead. After two days ago, I think I need a _siesta._

I grab another one of the books in one of the semi-organized stacks. I would read _Don Quijote_, but I don't know when Miyuki will want me to read it to her again. This one is in Spanish, too, so I know it'll help me relax, like Mom and Abuela are right next to me reading over my shoulder.

I'm a few pages into the story when I remember the tablet sitting on the desk. God, every time I see it, I keep worrying myself over who has the motive. Is it worth it to recheck the video to make sure I wasn't delirious like Aoyama said?

My hand is halfway to the tablet before I fully realize what I'm doing. I never should've looked at it in the first place. Looking again will not only not change anything, it'll also make me more anxious than I already am. I can't look again, and I definitely shouldn't. This is just want Aoyama wants.

No matter how hard I try, though, it keeps distracting me from my book. Temptation and curiosity are often the downfalls of the characters in the books I've read, no matter the language and folklore. I refuse to let them be mine.

I finish a couple chapters before I decide that I should get around to eating. It's probably around three in the afternoon if I'm guessing right, and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast. Y'know, it would probably be worth it to find some clocks in the store room and set them to Fujimoto's watch so more than one of us knows what the time is at any given point.

He and Hamasaki are both in the dining hall when I get there. So are Oshiro, Ikeda, and Abe. I assume the rest of them are either in their rooms or at the rink with Miyuki. Oshiro is the only one talking, as I've come to expect. "And that's why you should never trust an aquarius! Real crazy how that works, huh?"

I disappear into the kitchen before she can rope me into a conversation about things I don't understand. Look, I like her, but she can be a bit much.

My dinner is just a peanut butter sandwich, nothing too big. I only linger in the kitchen long enough to make it painstakingly slow. Any longer and I won't have a viable excuse. Abe's finishing up his meal in silence while Hamasaki and Fujimoto nod along to whatever story Oshiro's telling now. I glance over at Abe a few times in hesitance before saying anything. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. I probably shouldn't have assumed."

He shakes his head, looking down at his plate. Why does he never make eye contact with me? Is he just shy and I didn't notice? "I shouldn't have snapped. That was my fault." He takes a breath, maybe collecting himself? "Everything here seems normal until it's not, and it's setting me on edge. Everyone who acts like this is some normal situation- it's like everyone's given up on getting out. I can't let myself forget that escaping…" He trails off, returning my gaze for the fraction of a second before turning his entire body away. "Ueda said to tell you that she wanted to talk to you." Before I have the chance to ask, he leaves. A frustrated groan escapes my lips as I bite into my sandwich. I'm never going to understand him, am I?

Still… If Miyuki wants to talk to me, I don't want to keep her waiting. I take my sandwich with me, etiquette be damned. Besides, it's not like anyone is really gonna care.

I'm a little surprised that so many people stayed at the rink for so long. A few hours I can understand, but the majority of the day? I don't have the stamina. Miyuki obviously does, though, especially for not taking breaks. Maybe I should've brought her a sandwich, too.

For the most part, though, it seems like this is just a hangout spot. Yoshida and Yasu aren't even skating, just sitting to the side and chatting. Maeda looks like he's trying to skate circles around Miyuki while Sasaki and Nakamura laugh. Naturally, Aoyama is nowhere to be found, but neither is Saito. She's probably in her room or the gym, now that I think of it.

Yoshida waves me over when she sees me. "Hey, Ishikawa! Catch a second wind?"

"Something like that." I sit next to Yasu and angle myself towards them, though my eyes are trained on the ice. I should probably wait until Miyuki isn't occupied to talk to her. "What's been going on?"

"Nothing too much. It's been fun hanging out in a more casual setting with everyone, but…" Yasu glances over at Yoshida. "We were talking about the motive."

"Like, is it really smart to try to ignore them?" Yoshida keeps her voice down, likely so Miyuki doesn't hear us. I frown slightly. "Wouldn't the best course of action be to lock them somewhere or something? Or at least not have them right there in front of us as a temptation."

That makes sense, but… "Is there even somewhere we can keep them, though? I don't think there's anything here with locks that none of us have access to." The look that crosses Yoshida's face when I say that is nothing short of disappointed. "But that doesn't mean we can't figure something out," I rush to say. "Why don't you bring it up tomorrow at breakfast? That way we can get everyone's input at once."

Yasu nods. "That'll be good. We don't want to do anything unless we have the majority on our side. That way we can keep the peace, right?" It's a rhetorical question, but something in me sits uneasily when she says it. She stands and offers a hand to Yoshida before addressing me. "I think I'm gonna get something to eat, wanna come?"

"I just ate, thanks. I'll see you later, though." They nod and exit the rink, leaving five of us in here. I lean on the low wall, standing on my tiptoes. "Miyuki! You wanted to see me?"

She smiles and skates over, ignoring Maeda's reaction to my using her first name. For a moment, I forgot other people were here. Sasaki and Nakamura don't really react much, if they even heard it to begin with. "Yeah, actually. Care to stick around until everyone else is out?"

Another one of those warning signs goes off in my gut even though I _know_ I can trust her. I need to stop being paranoid for no reason. "Absolutely. Until then, let me get some skates on so I can join you."

She brightens, and I realize that I made the right decision. Skating earlier was fun; I really should've stayed for longer. "I still haven't gotten over that it's easier to skate than rollerblade," Nakamura says, skating slowly nearby. "How does that work?"

"Maybe it's because the land has more things to trip over. And potholes." Sasaki shrugs. "Do you rollerblade a lot?"

"I tried it once a few years ago. It didn't work out well." He smiles and laughs like it's nothing. I can feel myself relaxing somehow as I come onto the ice, trying not to slip like I did before. Especially since there's more people here, I don't want to make a fool out of myself, even though normally I really wouldn't care.

Sasaki sighs, stretching her arms above her and somehow managing to stay steady on her feet. "I might go in soon. It's about time to eat and unwind." Funny, now that I think of it; this is one of the first few times I've seen her and Yasu apart. Well, once we all have the people we're the most comfortable with, the comfort is worth it.

Nakamura doesn't say anything, just winks at the two of us and follows. Maeda is close behind, but still I can't help the blush that rises in my cheeks. I shake my head to get rid of it as if it's that easy. I turn back to Miyuki once the locker room door swings shut with a decisive click. "They really need to stop assuming things."

Miyuki giggles and shakes her head, but doesn't say anything on the topic. I stay on the ice with her, skating in slow circles around the perimeter. "Am I doing well, being the leader?" she asks, somewhat out of the blue. Of all the things she could've wanted to talk about, I didn't think this was one of them.

"What do you mean? Of course you are." Her face is clear of any tell, despite having no physical curtain from her hair. Now would be the time to be transparent with me, but she's more guarded now than ever. "Where did this come from?"

She shrugs. "Probably just common worries. But...the game started, even when I thought we were all aligned together. I thought we could avoid anyone dying at all, but…" She slows down, her gaze lifting to the ceiling. "I just wonder if I'm doing this leader thing right. If I can prevent any more deaths."

"That's the big question, isn't it? Everyone's doing all they can, but we can't control everything. It's like Abe said before- we have to trust in each other to a certain degree. Like me? I trust you with everything. I trust that you know how to control your emotions and I trust that you won't kill anyone. I trust you a lot, Miyuki." Slowly, her gaze shifts back down to me, and she nods. I smile in what I hope comes across as reassuring. "And this motive. We can't control if anyone is going to see it, but we can control our responses to that."

She stiffens at the mention of the motive. I really, really hope that doesn't mean what I think it means. Please, please don't let it mean that. "You're right. I just need to keep a clear mind. Easy as pie."

"That's it." We take another lap around in silence. She could easily outpace me here, but she stays right beside me anyway. Her company is nice, comforting. She's definitely the easiest friend I've made in years. Friends like I've already found here are hard to come by. Damn it, why does this game have to be in the way?

She stops after another half a lap. "I need to get some food in me. I haven't had anything to eat since…" She thinks for a second. "Actually, I don't think I even had breakfast today."

"You didn't. That's not very healthy of you," I tease, poking her arm.

She groans and presses the heels of her hands against her cheekbones. "I know! I know. I need to be better about that like I was before. I'm kinda surprised I lasted all day without any food."

I laugh and step off of the ice, only wobbling slightly this time. "You get yourself some food, I'm going to finish organizing the books in my room."

"Oh! Can we read more of that book after?"

"Sure, I'll meet you in the library so we don't fall asleep again." I unlace my skates and place them neatly with the others, some of which are not as nicely placed. Miyuki hovers near them before I wave her off. "Go eat, I can take care of this."

She nods and scurries off. I then become acutely aware of how alone I am. Everything I do resonates through the room. Yet, for some reason, I don't feel as threatened as I've been before. Still, I hurry to get done and go back to my room, fiddling with the key.

More music comes out of Hamasaki's room, smooth and light. It sounds like an entire song now, but I can't tell if it's a new one or a cover of an older song. It's nice to hear either way, though it disappears after I close my door.

I make quick work of the rest of my books; I had most of them sorted out already. I don't want to keep Miyuki waiting, so I grab the book, start back up to the library, and settle in on one of the chairs. They're actually pretty comfortable, all things considered.

It's still chilly in here, and I swear that it could be coming from a draft from a hidden window or door. But there are no windows, let alone unbarred ones, and I already checked for doors. It makes no logical sense for there to not be some kind of exit here.

"Ready!" Miyuki comes nearly crashing into the library, a giant grin on her face. Her hair is down again, and her glasses are back on; she's done skating for the night. This version of her is more familiar to me, if only by a couple days. She sits down eagerly in the seat near mine.

"You really enjoy this, even though you don't understand it?" She nods and I laugh. I don't understand that sentiment myself, but then again, I have no way to. I understand just about everything I hear and read now. "Well, then, let's start right where we left off."

We read until the nighttime announcement plays before walking back down to our rooms together. My voice feels a bit raw, but in a good way. She was right in what she said the other day; this really does help as a distraction. If I weren't so tired, I would keep reading. Lord knows I need the load off my mind.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE VIII

"Are crossovers really worth the hype?"

"Nine times out of ten, they end with loose ends."

"Beloved characters meeting for the first and only time spells disaster."

"Besides, the fans can often come up with better content."

"So why all the hype if it's not done right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those who voted on the poll! FTEs will be in the next chapter!
> 
> I've been reading this to my mom, and we're already up to the investigation of this chapter. She guessed the victim, but not the blackened; we'll have to see how y'all do soon!


	8. Chapter 2 Part III

It's already been two days since the motive was introduced. I count everyone silently as they come into the dining hall, absentmindedly shredding my orange peel to pieces. No body discovery announcement rang out when Saito and I came in this morning. Nobody was waiting for us, dead. I have no reason to worry, not when Miyuki and Oshiro enter as the final two.

"Okay, we need to talk about the motive," Yoshida says almost immediately after everyone is seated. A couple people throw surprised looks her way, though I'm not sure if they're surprised about the topic or that it was her who brought it up. "Look, if anyone did check their tablet for the video, I doubt they would own up to it. Wouldn't it be easier to remove the temptation altogether?"

"We could always find a room or box we can lock them in," Yasu suggests, spreading her hands on the table. "Oh, and I'm using _he_ and _him_ pronouns now." Correction: his hands.

Miyuki shifts in her seat as all eyes fall on her for a final verdict, her posture straightening. "I guess that seems like a good idea, but where would we find something like that?" Exactly the question I thought of yesterday.

"The lockers in the bath house have keys. Those would serve our purpose well." Saito looks around for our approval. I hadn't even thought of something like that. That's not that bad of an idea. It could definitely work.

"Someone would need to hold onto the key," Ikeda points out, waving half a bagel in the air before taking a bite. "How would we decide who?"

"Not worth drawing straws, thanks to Miss Luck." Maeda's head nearly slips out of his hand. He's still blinking sleep out of his eyes. "That would be rigged in her favor."

Yoshida seems a bit miffed at that, but she doesn't outwardly complain. "We could choose by vote like we've been doing," Sasaki suggests instead.

"How would we choose if there's no clear majority?" Hamasaki counters, crossing her arms in frustration. "I don't think there's an unbiased way to do this."

There isn't. Not unless- "What if we locked them in and burned the key?" I look to Nakamura. "We could use the incinerator, couldn't we?"

"Ah, but I wouldn't do that if I were you." Monokuma hoists himself onto Rikimaru's vacant chair. Oshiro and Maeda scoot a little further away. "The keys are school property and destroying school property is grounds for punishment, as you already know!"

Several of us grow pale at the mention of punishment from his mouth. Of course, the lock wasn't properly destroyed before, just picked. It still worked after, even if it stuck a little. That's why Rikimaru was temporarily spared.

"There's nothing we can do about it unless we want to put blind trust in each other," Abe sighs, as if that's the worst thing we could possibly do.

Miyuki is uncharacteristically quiet, chewing on her lip while her eyes follow the conversation. _You okay?_ I mouth, my brow creased. She nods slightly, which doesn't exactly assuage my concern.

"Just leave us alone," Nakamura says when Monokuma starts snickering, a sneer passing over his lips. "None of us want to hear what you have to say."

Monokuma huffs and pouts. "Now that's just rude! What sort of headmaster must I be that my students treat me with such disrespect?" His shoulders shake like he's crying before he erupts in raucous laughter. "Who am I kidding? The best headmasters are the ones the kids hate because they get stuff done!" His laughter continues as he walks out of the room and down the hall.

"Little bitch," Yoshida grumbles, just loud enough for us to hear, I think on purpose. Saito smirks and lets out a breath, the closest I've seen and heard to a smile and a laugh from her.

"So there's really not much we can do without trusting at least one person here," Fujimoto sums up, almost exactly like Abe did a moment before. The silent question rings out: can we do that?

Judging by the guilty, self-conscious look in everyone's eyes, the answer is a hard no.

"Let's just ignore it," Miyuki says beseechingly, bordering on pleading. "We're doing well, we can keep going like this." She's running from it again. Doesn't she know that she needs to face this if we want to overcome it? I thought she would after our talk last night, but I guess not…

Maeda pushes himself away from the table. "I'll be in my room." His face is occluded as he leaves. I don't think he's happy with this; he's just the loudest about it. Well, him and Aoyama. Because of course.

"Nobody's going to let their guards down," he warns as he stands. "We're signing our own death warrants." How cryptic.

One by one, everyone else leaves. Abe and I are the last two, so why not do some harmless chatting? Maybe I can crack him. "Hey Abe, you've mentioned your sisters before. Can you tell me more about them?"

"No."

I wait for him to say more. Him being himself, he doesn't. "Really? Nothing?"

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose as he gets up. "Why do you talk to me so much?"

I get up as well, if only to keep at his eye level. "To get to know you, obviously. Why else would I?"

"I don't know, but you shouldn't." His arm sweeps out in front of him. The move reminds me of a certain Disney princess. I take a step back instinctively. When did his annoyance turn into anger? "In this situation, would it hurt less for the victim or blackened to be someone you know well or someone you don't?"

I blink. "Someone you don't, but-"

"But that's it. There's nothing more to it."

He starts to leave. I bite my lip before shouting, "No, that's wrong. You're wrong! If we get to know each other better, we'll be able to stop anything more from happening."

He stops in his tracks, but doesn't turn towards me. "This is where we differ, Ishikawa: I am a realist. You are an idealist. Can you see why we could never agree on this?"

I bite my lip again, my nails digging into my palms. What kind of answer could I possibly provide?

He looks over his shoulder once, so quick that I'm not convinced it happened. "Think on that. I'll wait."

I watch him turn the corner before I bring my fist down on the table, hard enough to make my hand hurt, but not hard enough to make too loud of a noise. I wince as I uncurl my first. One of my nails cut through my skin. A small trickle of blood runs down my hand. I should probably get a bandaid from the nurse's office.

I cup my free hand under it so no blood gets on the floor. I don't want to give anyone the wrong idea, or make a mess. I nudge the door open with my foot, stopping in the doorway when I see Yasu.

"Ishikawa, I-" He cuts himself off when he sees my cut. "You're bleeding. Come here, I'll help."

I approach and sit on one of the cots as he rummages around to find antiseptic and a bandaid. "It's nothing big," I promise, examining it closer. "Just a small cut." It doesn't even span my entire palm. Barely even half. I probably don't even need antiseptic or anything.

Still, he pops back over with a small roll of gauze and gets right to work. "I think Yoshida has all of the bandaids, so a little of this should do, right?" He starts with antiseptic, pouring a bit on a cotton ball before pressing it to the cut.

"How'd you get so good at this?" I ask, trying to ignore the sting. Surprisingly, it's not bad.

"My mom is a little… Let's say 'protective,' so this is what I go through for every papercut." There's a bit of laughter tinged with something else in his voice. Concern? He dabs the excess antiseptic and blood off with a tissue. "Anyway."

He seems down now, because of what I got him thinking about. My mind races, trying to think of something else to say to lift him out of this. "Remember we were talking about traveling before? Where's the one place you really want to go?"

A wistful look crosses his face as he starts wrapping my hand gently. "That's a tough question, since I'd love to go everywhere. If I had to choose just one place…" He grows silent in thought. "Iceland. I've seen so many pictures of the natural beauties there. I can hardly imagine how great they are in person."

I grin as he cuts off the bandage and tapes the edge down. "Well, then, I'll have to take you there myself! I actually haven't been there before, but it'd be so much fun for us to go together, don't you think?"

"It would be amazing." He lets my hand go with an awkward kind of smile. "All better."

"Thanks." I can still feel the antiseptic a bit, but that'll soon fade. I look down at my hand, a slight smile growing at how ridiculous it is that there's an entire bandage on it instead of a bandaid. I get up to leave before remembering something I wanted to ask. "What were you in here for? Anything I can help with?"

If I'm not mistaken, there's panic behind his eyes. Strange. "It's nothing, don't worry! I'm, uh, going to catch up with Sasaki. I'll talk to you later!" I watch him leave in a bit of a rush. The room is quiet without him. I should probably leave now that I've gotten this taken care of. I'll see if anyone else is around.

I mill around in the hall, poking my head around the corners to see if someone's there. There's not, but there are noises coming from the gym. Might as well investigate, right? I'm...actually kinda bored without going to look for people. See, I never had this problem when I was traveling with my parents. I met someone new every day then. Boredom was not an option.

I poke my head into the gym, looking around. "Saito?" I ask, seeing her moving from wall to wall. She doesn't acknowledge me, just keeps doing what she's doing. "...What are you doing?"

"Cleaning." I take a good look around and notice just how organized it is now. All the basketballs we left all over the place are placed neatly on a rack from somewhere. The miscellaneous equipment from a small closet is what she's carting around now.

"Do you want some help?" This, at least, will help me spend some time productively. She nods after a second. I glance around first to make sure I know her system before starting. The charm on her necklace glints under the lights. "Where did you get that?"

"Get what?" she asks, dragging over some athletic mats and propping them against the wall.

"Your necklace. It's really pretty." I take one of the smaller mats, half-lifting and half-dragging it to the others.

She's quiet for a moment, fixing one of the mats so it's straight. "I've had it since I was a child. It's nothing special."

Once again, I notice her hand go to it, almost unconsciously. "Must be special if you've been wearing it for that long." I don't have anything like that.

"I suppose that's true." She drops her hand, studying the gym. She really isn't that talkative, is she? I thought I'd be able to get more out of her if it was just the two of us here. "I think we're done here."

That's really it? "Any reason for cleaning the gym?" I wonder aloud before she can wander away.

She stops right before reaching the doorway. "Not a good one. Practice spaces should always be tidy, don't you think?" One of her hands reaches up to fix her immaculate bun, as if tidying that as well. "Always having tidy spaces was how I was raised, and you know what they say about old habits."

Right; they die hard. "Well, I'm glad I could help, then!"

The corner of her mouth lifts for just a second as she studies me curiously. "Thank you, Ishikawa. I'll see you later." With a trite nod, she turns and leaves. Once again, I'm alone. I should look for something else to do; this took barely any time at all.

Almost immediately after I step out of the gym, someone comes crashing into me from my left, nearly sending me to the ground. I wince and brace for impact, but a hand grabs my arm to steady me. "Sorry about that!" Yoshida says, less panicked than I feel. In fact, she wears an easy grin. "You alright?"

"Fine, thanks." I smooth down my skirt, my heart still racing. Her eyes are at least a little apologetic, though she plays with one of her pigtails like it's no big deal. My eyes catch on the bandage around my hand. "Oh, do you have any of the bandaids? There weren't any more in the nurse's office, so…" I lift my hand to show her.

She giggles and nods, already reaching into her front pocket. "Yeah, just…" The smile slips off her face as she checks her other pocket. "Shit, I think they're all in my room. Maybe come with so we can grab one?"

"Sure, I don't mind." It's not like it's that far of a walk, really. "Do you really use that many of them?"

"You'd be surprised." She shakes her head once, her pigtails bouncing on her shoulders. "If I can get through a week without any new scrapes or cuts, I have twice as many coming for me the next week. Such is my luck."

She keeps saying that, all those little comments. "Isn't your luck supposed to be good, though? I mean, that is your talent."

For a moment, she stays quiet. I can't tell if it's in thought or something else. "No. My luck is usually bad. It's gotten me into more trouble than it's worth, and even if it is good, it's not to any extremes or anything. I don't even know how it can be counted as a talent."

I still can't quite wrap my head around that. "It must be, though, right?"

"Let me let you in on a little secret." She glances around us to make sure nobody's listening before leaning closer. "It's not a real talent. The whole "lucky student" thing is a sham. My name was picked from a lottery, and that's the only reason I'm here." Her smile seems forced now. "I'm almost jealous of your talent, y'know?"

I don't, really. Even before it was recognized as a talent, my parents always commented on how easily I picked up languages. Even if it wasn't a Hope's Peak-worthy talent, it was still a talent. "I get it. Like, I'd love to have someone else's talent, even just for a day."

Yoshida laughs, only a touch bitter, as we approach her room. "I'll trade you." She unlocks it, not even inside for a full ten seconds before coming back out with the perfect sized bandaid. "Anyway. Thanks for putting up with my ranting."

"It's really no problem. You're nice to talk with." I say it with sincerity, because she really is, for the most part. She's funny, but still nicer than some of our classmates even though she has an edge. That's definitely unique. "And, hey, since this all seems to be bad luck, maybe you'll have a good luck streak soon enough."

"Maybe. I wouldn't count on it, though." She shakes her head to clear the thought and smiles again, almost a smirk. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. I'll talk to you later, alright?" I can barely nod before she steps back inside her room and closes her door. I look down at the bandaid and my hand. Might as well get this taken care of while I'm by my room.

I slip inside, locking the door behind me out of habit. Come to think of it, I think most of us wouldn't even try to come in. They would probably just assume that the door is locked because they lock theirs. I haven't even thought about it before. Not that I'm going to risk not locking my door. Given past events, that wouldn't be wise.

I pick at the tape on my bandage, pulling it up and unwrapping it. Now that it's cleaned, the cut doesn't look too bad, not that it did before. I laugh a little to myself; I'm glad only Yasu and I saw exactly how big the cut was. I never would've heard the end of it.

The bandaid is the perfect size to cover it. It's one of the fabric kinds, the ones that don't come off for anything. That at least will make sure that it doesn't come off from just moving my hand. I take a quick glance around to make sure I'm not missing anything before going back out.

Or, to my door. I nearly jump back when I open my door and find Hamasaki there with something in her hands. My heart rate spikes for just a moment until I realize what it is: a clock. "Oh, jeez, you scared me," I say, putting a hand on my chest to calm my heart. It's just one scare after another today, isn't it?

"Sorry about that," she said, at least sounding apologetic. She holds the clock up. "Fujimoto and I decided to set some clocks up for around the school so we all know what time it is. Here's yours."

Wasn't I just thinking about this? Great minds think alike. "Thanks. This'll definitely help us keep track of time." Especially when I'm not doing much of anything. Out of curiosity, I check the time; it's not even noon. There's still half a day left.

"You're the last one we needed to give them to, actually. I'm glad you were here." She gives me a smile and a wave before heading off to who knows where. I watch her go and actually leave my door open as I prop my clock against one of the stacks of books on the center table. There's still so much time left in the day, I don't even know what to do with myself.

...Well, I could always go down to the rink with Miyuki. Maybe she can teach me some of those jumps.

My mind made up, I go first to the kitchen. It is almost lunch time after all, and I doubt she's going to be taking any breaks until tonight. I make two sandwiches, one for each of us, and grab a couple apples just in case she doesn't like the sandwich. Next time, I'll be sure to ask what kind she likes.

I don't run into anyone in the halls on the way up. It's odd; this school isn't particularly big, and yet I almost never run into more than one person at a time. I'm used to big cities and lots of people around at all times, especially in cramped quarters like this. We're more or less lucky if we're all in the dining hall at the same time other than breakfast. It's surprisingly isolated.

Unlike what I expected, Miyuki's not the only one at the rink. Maeda is, too, watching Miyuki from the side intently. Of all the people I could've found here, I don't think I expected it to be him. Although, I guess I would've been more surprised if I'd found Abe or Aoyama. I wait until the track on the CD ends to announce my presence. "I brought you something to eat."

Miyuki grins and skates to the little door, stepping onto solid ground. Well, maybe not solid ground. Does ice count as solid ground? "Thanks, Camila. It looks great."

"Didn't happen to bring me anything, did you?" Maeda's tone is kinda teasing, so I stick my tongue out at him.

"Maybe I would've if I knew you were here." I shrug and hand Miyuki one of the sandwiches before sitting and eating my own. "How's everything going here?"

She smiles wide, leaning back against her seat. "Really great. I have this short program down pat. I want to start the long program soon, later today or tomorrow. I just need to practice a couple of the skills."

"And I'm here just 'cause I had nothing else better to do," Maeda says, sitting on her other side. "Not like there's any track here, so I can only race people through the halls. Unless either of you wanna race on ice?"

I try to stifle a laugh. "Are you kidding me? You'd crush me flat out there."

"And this rink isn't big enough for racing, not like a speed skating rink or even a regular-sized one. This one's actually kinda small." Miyuki chews her sandwich, thinking. "Maybe if it were a little longer, but we'd still have to be careful about it. We don't want to ram into the sides or anything."

He considers this for a moment. "I guess that's true." Still, he sounds disappointed, like he was hoping to flaunt his talent somehow. "What are you two gonna do here?"

We look at each other, and I shrug. "I thought I'd watch and maybe we'd talk," I say after a moment. "Maybe somehow drag you back for dinner tonight."

She laughs a bit, flattening the stray hairs from her ponytail. "Good luck dragging me out of here! I still have so much time to make up for from these last few days, then I can get back to my regular schedule."

Well, it's fairly obvious that she's pretty committed to this. I guess it'll take an army to get her out of here. Maeda looks between us again before grinning mischievously. "You two really are close, aren't you?"

Why does everyone- Hm. Miyuki's cheeks are bright pink thanks to his grin, which gives him the answer I think he wants even though, I don't know. I...can't deny there's attraction there. I don't even know if she feels the same, though. I'm not sure I want to know. "Just friends," I eventually force out, to squash whatever it is he's thinking.

Friends, yeah. That works.

Miyuki finishes her sandwich and clears her throat, standing. The blush is still in her cheeks, but less so now. "I'm going to get back out there, start on technical work. Feel free to stay and watch!"

That was my plan. I dump our trash in the nearest trash can and stand, leaning against the low wall. I really can't imagine myself doing what she does, spinning in midair and jumping so impossibly high and somehow still landing on her feet. It takes my breath away.

I don't notice when Maeda leaves. I don't notice how much time passes. All I know is her and those little smiles she sends me. I'm there watching until she skates towards me, leaning a little on the side right next to me. There's no music; I didn't even notice she didn't put in another CD.

"So," she says, her eyebrows somewhat raised. "Just friends?"

I sputter a little. "We didn't exactly talk about any of this! I-" The words roll off of my tongue before I can stop them. "Yeah, I think I have a crush on you, but like-"

She stops me there with a tiny smile. "I have a crush on you, too. But we can't do much about it, can we? If we were in school, just a school, we could, but-"

"There's too much going on." This damn killing game. There's no guarantee that we can stay safe. It just complicates everything. "I'm pretty sure everyone thinks we're already dating."

"Maybe they've been betting on us like we've been betting on Hamasaki and Fujimoto," she jokes, and the corners of her lips tilt up into a smile. "But I guess you should know that I really really do like you."

My heart squeezes when she says that. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that. I don't even know what I'm supposed to say to that. "I-"

"Let me try something?" she asks softly. Her eyes search mine until I nod, in total awe. She comes closer until I can feel her breath on my skin, and-

We shoot apart before anything happens as the locker room door opens. I nearly fall onto the seats behind me, and almost land on the floor. I groan internally. "Ueda, can you teach me how to do those technical moves?" Oshiro asks, bouncing in with a giant smile. I half expect Yoshida to be trailing behind her, but she's alone. I guess that cuts the teasing in half. She only looks between us for a second before shrugging.

"Sure, Oshiro," Miyuki says after a second, sending me an apologetic glance. "See you at dinner?"

"Alright." I grab my e-Handbook back out to get into the locker room, swiping it as I hear Oshiro talking on and on about how she was so excited to learn the different techniques and skating and learning new things. I'm excited for her, but she has awful timing.

Timing that, I'll admit, makes me feel a little buzzed the rest of the day. I flit around my room, trying to organize what's already been organized just because I can, and because it helps time pass. I think about everything that just happened, and, I mean, I'm _floored._ This has never once happened to me. I just- I don't know how to react.

I run my fingers through my hair, pushing it back. I'd tie it up, but it's still a bit short for a proper ponytail. It only comes to just below my chin. All I've done is make it a little bigger on top, and that'll settle soon enough. It makes it look thicker than it is now, though. At least I don't need to rebrush it or anything.

I manage to kill time until it's time to eat again. I don't even need to check the clock for that; my stomach lets me know. It's funny how long I can spend doing this kind of thing. My mind just shuts off for a while; I go on autopilot.

The dining hall, I find with surprise, is full. By my head count, just about everyone is here except for Yasu and Aoyama. Miyuki twists in her seat and sends me a bit of a smile. There's already a bit of a buffet out on the table, but I think this is one of the first times we're just about all here at the same time for dinner.

I can see the wheels turning in Abe's head. I wouldn't put it past him to bring up the motive, see if anyone checked the tablets. Somehow, if he asked, I think he'd know I'm guilty of checking mine. I'm a terrible liar, after all.

For the first few minutes, though, he doesn't say anything. "I hope everyone had a good day," Sasaki says with a light smile. She glances to the door in the middle of her sentence, as though willing the other two to come in. All she gets are murmured agreements, but she seems satisfied with that and goes back to her food.

Among what little conversation there is, Miyuki touches my arm lightly. "More of the story tonight?" she asks in a whisper, as if it's our little secret. I can tell, though, that we have Abe and Ikeda's attention, if nobody else's, even if they're trying not to make it obvious that they're listening.

"Come find me if you have the time. If you're busy working on your long program and get back after the nighttime announcement, don't worry about it." I give her a somewhat tight smile. I know skating is important to her, and I know that I don't want her exhausted. If she is, who knows what could happen on the ice. I don't want her to hurt herself. "Just knock on my door and I'll let you in."

Immediately after I say that, I can sense the disapproval coming off of Abe. I know it's against the rules to let people in our rooms, even if we trust them, but Miyuki would never do anything to hurt me. I know she wouldn't.

She's one of the first to leave once she's done eating, back to the rink. She didn't even change out of her practice clothes. Oshiro doesn't complain this time, since there are only twelve of us to begin with. Now I just hope that if Yasu or Aoyama shows up, it's only one of them and not both of them. I don't want to deal with another death prophecy or whatever.

Saito watches her leave, a bit of curiosity on her face. "Why does she spend so much time there?" she wonders aloud, catching my attention.

"I mean, that's her talent. Why wouldn't she spend time there?" I don't think I know what she's getting at.

She looks back at me like she didn't know that I heard her. "I suppose you're right." Another glance to the door before she turns back to her meal, and I catch on: she's thinking the same thing I thought before.

Miyuki's avoiding the motive.

That's not good for any of us. She's our leader, and with that responsibility, she has to do something more, doesn't she? That's what everyone else here thinks, at least; I can see it on their faces. It's been there since this motive was announced. Since the first motive was announced. It was never fully addressed, so it was taken advantage of. That'll only happen again if we can't come to a consensus.

But I don't say anything about that. For all I know, Sasaki was just curious and nothing more. I can't speak for Miyuki or anyone else. Instead, I look back down at my food and stay somewhat quiet the rest of the time.

Yasu and Aoyama don't end up coming in while we're eating. I almost wonder what they're doing, if they're alright. Especially Yasu; I can't say I haven't been a touch concerned about his wellbeing since the first investigation. And especially since he was in the nurse's office earlier… Maybe he hasn't been feeling well this whole time and has just been hiding it so we don't worry? I don't know. It feels like going off on a limb, and it's not like I have any proof.

I go back to my room around six to shower and change into pajamas. If Miyuki comes tonight, she'll be here around eight or nine, probably, so I settle into my bed with a different book. I don't want to progress in _Don Quijote_ without her; that would just be unfair to. Well, I already know what happens anyway, but this way I'm experiencing it again at the same time. It's more fair, and more interesting, since she can tell from the tone of my voice what's happening, for the most part. I like to think that makes me a good storyteller.

I've almost burned through my entire book by the time Monokuma's nighttime announcement plays. I glance up at my clock; sure enough, it's ten PM. She probably got too caught up in her long program. I can't really blame her; when I get deep into studying or reading, it takes a bulldozer to pull me out of it. Time probably flies as quickly for her on ice as it does when I read.

I bookmark my page in this book and put it next to _Don Quijote_ so I remember which book it is I'm in the middle of. I wait up a couple more minutes just in case before turning out my light and getting under my covers. I'll read to her some other time.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE IX

"Books are kinda strange, aren't they?"

"Like, they're dead trees."

"With ink stains in odd shapes."

"But somehow, people can look at those shapes and make them mean something."

"It's basically a big hallucination!"

**X-X-X**

The first thing I spy when I wake up is my tablet. I groan and shift my position, trying not to make it the first thing I think about today. But I'm already on edge anyway. I can't place it.

Once again, Abe and Saito and I are the first ones here. Miyuki's still at the rink like every morning. I doubt she's going to eat today unless I bring her something again. Before I can even grab an orange, though, my nerves catch up to me, making my stomach churn and flip. Is this because we didn't take care of the motive? Something in me feels garbled, like a half-done translation. It doesn't have the right meaning.

The animosity in the room grows and is nearly tangible by the time everyone gets here. Well, everyone except Miyuki. Saito sighs and grabs my attention by tapping the table right in front of me. "Would you get Ueda? I think we should try discussing the motive again. Surely there's more that can be done."

"Yeah, sure. Give me a second." I ignore Oshiro's warning cry of there only being thirteen of us at the table and stand to leave. As I walk, the tips of my fingers run over the bandaid on my palm. The edges of it start to curl up by the time I get to the stairs. I feel guarded, if only because I don't know if Monokuma is going to pop up around the corner and scare me to death.

The only sound I hear other than my footsteps is the scanner once I swipe my e-Handbook. Miyuki's definitely here; her duffle bag is right where she usually has it on the bench, nice and neat. I expect to hear her music playing when I open the door, but I'm greeted with silence instead. "Miyuki?"

More silence.

Oh, _shit._

I can't see her on the ice, either, but there's a bit of the wall that's blocking my view of the part nearest me. I run down and onto the ice, not bothering with skates. If this is it, I can't bother. There's no time! "Miyuki!"

My knees hit the ice hard. I'm sure they're bruised. I can't stop repeating her name, trying to get her to wake up. She's… She's just unconscious, that's all this is. I inch forward as much as I can, stopping where the pool of red starts.

My hand reaches over, wanting to shake her shoulder, but I'm afraid of how she'll feel. I don't want a confirmation.

My head is foggy. I don't know how long I sit there, but I'm shaking. Is it from the cold, or the shock? I didn't put on a coat or anything. How cold must she be? She doesn't have a coat either, and she's on the ground…

"Ishikawa? What's taking you so-"

Miyuki. That's all I can think.

"Oh my god… Not again! I- I'll get help!"

Too late.

"Oh, no…"

It's too late.

"A body has been discovered!"

She's already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least three of you hate me now
> 
> I'm not sorry
> 
> Please leave a review, they make my day!


	9. Chapter 2 Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever wondered which of these characters you are? Now you can know! https://uquiz.com/2UHZ0G

"Ishikawa."

It's too bright.

"Ishikawa, you need to get up."

Too cold.

A hand grabs my arm and pulls me roughly to my feet. I don't know how I stay standing, not without skates. "I'm going to be sick," I mutter, unsure if it's actually true. I want to look away from her. I can't. So pale…

The hand makes me turn away. ...I can't leave her! No. "Let go," I protest, but my words lack conviction. Lack meaning.

I'm over by the seats now, somehow. I can't see her anymore. The plastic seats are too hard, not comfortable. Someone says something; I can't make it out. Something small and soft is laid over my shoulders. I stare down at the floor. My knees are dripping with sticky, thick blood. Not mine. Hers.

"Get her out of here. We have an investigation to do." No, don't make me leave. I don't want to leave her here.

A gentler hand than the one before coaxes me up. I'm going to fall over if I take another step, so I don't. Against the pressure of the hand, I sit back down.

"Get her _out,_" the voice repeats, like this is an emergency room and I'm trying to be at someone's side. Isn't that essentially what this is? But this time, there's no shred of hope at all.

Someone else cuts in. "Leave her be. She just lost her best friend. Show some sympathy."

Best friend…

I was going to go to one of her competitions.

"Ishikawa, I need you to look at me." It's hard. I lift my head. "Can you tell me who I am?"

"Ikeda." My voice doesn't, can't, raise above a whisper. "She's gone."

He takes a second to breathe and glances over his shoulder. I don't know who he's trying to look at. "I need you to concentrate and speak in Japanese or English, okay? None of us know Spanish."

Am I speaking Spanish? I bite my lip so hard that I taste the barest hint of blood. Mine. Not hers. "She's...gone."

Regret is the most prominent thing in his eyes as he nods. I probably sound foolish, stating the obvious like that. "You know we need to find out who killed her. Do you want to investigate?"

Do I? I don't have a voice. I speak through my actions and stand slowly. "I have your Monokuma File," Oshiro says from my side. She's slightly less perky than usual. I shouldn't have expected anything else. I must've missed Monokuma's entrance and subsequent exit while I was out of it. I study Oshiro for a second. Something about her looks different. It takes me a moment to realize that her jacket isn't- oh. That's what's on me. I tug her jacket off and trade it for the file. Just like before, it opens easily.

The victim is Ueda Miyuki, Super High-School Level Figure Skater. The body was first discovered in the skating rink on the second floor at 7:48 in the morning. The cause of death is hypothermia, though other injuries are noted, including deep cuts to both thighs. That ends the file's description, shorter than the last.

Who would do this to her?

I don't go back to the ice right away. I keep staring at the file for a good few minutes, even after Oshiro and Ikeda leave my side, trying to find what I need to answer that question. Look at me. Everyone else is at least trying to investigate, and I can't do anything but sit here.

"Did you notice that the file doesn't list the time of death?" I overhear Fujimoto ask Nakamura as they put on skates. Of course. They need those to conduct the investigation. It was foolish of me to go on the ice without them. "How are we supposed to collect alibis?"

"Figure out who saw her last. That'll establish a frame of reference," Abe interrupts from the rink. His voice is as cold as the air in here. He and Saito are looking after the crime scene, I guess. I can't look at him. Not now. Not when he was- I can't say it.

I feel like I'm in a trance as I move to the wall by the locker rooms and grab the skates I used two days ago. I can't help in the trial if I don't collect any evidence. The laces pull tight, just like she taught me. It comes to mind suddenly that all of the skates are the perfect sizes for everyone here, like it was anticipated. The thought clears as I stand, bracing myself. I'm especially shaky, even off the ice, but I can at least keep myself upright.

Still, it takes me a moment to get over to that part of the rink, weaving between everyone. I stay on my feet, shuffling them to keep my balance. I look down at her face, turned to the side since she's on her stomach. Her arm is blocking it slightly, but I can tell that her eyes are closed. I don't know if someone else did that or if they were already like that. I can't remember. Her glasses are cracked badly on the side of her face resting on the ice. They must've broken sometime before her death. I...really hate that I have to see her like this. It isn't right.

She must not have had a chance to change this morning. She's still in her usual shirt and skater skirt, and her hair is only loosely pulled back, like she was in a rush. Nothing like its usual neatness. How quickly did this happen? I just don't get it. Something like this doesn't just happen.

I carefully lower myself to my knees again so I can get a closer look. The edge of the pool of blood barely touches my knees again, staining them a bit. Even though I was this close to her earlier, this time I need to commit every detail to memory.

There's nothing else around her head that I didn't already see. There aren't any bruises or cuts around her face, but her lips are tinged blue. I wouldn't expect anything less than that from hypothermia.

Nothing's wrong with her torso, either. No blood, no broken bones, I think. But her chest doesn't rise and fall with signs of life. Her fingertips are blue as well, unsettling. On a hunch, I pick up her hand, cold from laying on the ice. There's nothing under her fingernails, not like I've seen on crime shows before. I set her hand down gently, remembering when it was warm, and move on.

I can just barely see the edge of a slice through each of her thighs, cutting right through her leggings. That's where all of the blood came from, I guess. I can't tell how deep they are when she's on her stomach, but there's so much blood. They must be deep, right? I'm not trained to know exactly how deep. None of us are, and Monokuma didn't provide that evidence, so we won't be able to find out.

Of course, she's not wearing skates. I wouldn't expect her to be; she's clearly not fully ready to be on the ice. She's not wearing shoes, either, just thin socks that definitely did not protect her feet from the cold. She must've been getting ready, otherwise she would've had her shoes on.

I shift back a little bit away from her body, looking around her. The blood surrounding her lower half is only partially dried, soaking her leggings and her skirt. It's kind of smeared more towards the wall she's facing. The smears look like tracks, but I can't be sure, not until I look closer and see the barest of bloodstains on the low wall. They don't rise very far, less than a foot, but they're obviously from her. Where else could they have come from?

I shake my head and stand back up, turning slowly and skating to the exit. "I'm going to check the locker room," I say to no one in particular. I can't get the skates off fast enough, though I struggle a little with the laces. Every moment I spend in here is a moment I'm wasting and should be using to look for evidence. The air around be turns frigid, making me shiver. I need to get out.

The locker rooms still need us to swipe our e-Handbooks. I'm glad I didn't drop mine anywhere. I glance around quickly. Everything seems to be normal here, and she was killed out in the rink, so there couldn't be much here anyway. Still, I know I need to take a look around. Leave no stone left unturned and all that.

Her bag is on the bench, the zipper open slightly. I go to open it fully before pausing. Does this count as an intrusion of her privacy? I push the thought aside quickly and murmur an apology. Finding evidence is more important at the moment.

I rifle through a bit, taking things out and mentally cataloging them. There's her practice clothes, neatly folded, her e-Handbook, an unopened bottle of water, a couple of CDs, and her contacts in their case. No evidence here at all. I put everything back in her bag just like I found it, zipping it shut again.

I sigh and sit on the bench next to her bag, holding my head in my hands. This situation is just so hopeless. I sit there for a while, staring at the floor. It seems to distort under me, a small red splotch appearing before my eyes. I check my knees; the blood on them isn't dripping anywhere other than down my legs. It must not be new.

I crouch down to look at it, careful not to get any more blood on the floor. It's barely there, and kind of blurred, like it was scrubbed at. For all I know, it could've been here before this happened. We were all so interested in what was beyond the doors, I don't think anyone noticed what was on the floor. Miyuki spent so much time in here, maybe she noticed, but it's impossible to tell.

I sit back on my heels, adjusting my skirt in case anyone comes in. I scan the area around the blood spot; there's no others. So either it's nothing, or the others were scrubbed away completely.

Okay. I need to think seriously about this for a moment. This is in the girls' locker room. Miyuki couldn't have walked with cuts like that, no way, and she would've been bleeding too much to not leave a noticeable trail. So whoever did this must be a girl. That's what this means, right? There's blood in here, at least, I think, and nobody but girls have access to this room.

Before I can ponder it more, the locker room door slams open, almost making me fall onto my butt. Yoshida rushes past with a red face and wet eyes; Sasaki follows close behind. By the time I'm standing, wondering what's happening, they're already gone. Someone out in the rink probably knows what that was about.

I look at Miyuki's bag again. I'm not sure if I should stay and look longer in here, maybe see if I can find anything else. I doubt there is anything in here, so I could always go back and see if there's more in the rink. I don't know how much time we have to investigate, or how much time has already lapsed. I realize quickly that I don't really know much of anything. Do any of us?

I take a deep, deep breath before I push the door open. I can't see her from here, which for now is a good thing. More than anything at the moment, I want to see her as I know her, alive and happy and grinning. Stealing Oreos from me. Smirking at me after her program. Looking at the page of our book with her head on my shoulder. It tears me apart that I won't be able to see her like that anymore.

The person closest to me is Fujimoto, trying to arrange the haphazard pile of skates. "Why did Yoshida and Sasaki run out?" I ask, bending to help him. There are only a couple pairs left, all knocked over thanks to everyone's franticness.

We both stand once the skates are in a neat row again. He wipes his palms of his jeans. "Yoshida tripped over something on the ice, we think she broke her wrist or something. I don't know the specifics." He glances at the locker rooms as though willing everyone to reappear. "Maeda and Sasaki both went to help her in the nurse's office."

"Oh, wow." That's probably the last thing anyone wants to deal with right now. My hands tug at the hem of my skirt as we fall back into silence. "Has anyone-"

"Found anything?" He shakes his head with a grimace. "Nothing yet, I don't think. You knew her best, so…"

So I'd be the most helpful in this investigation. Of course. "Guess I should get down there," I mutter to myself, but I don't make a move. I'm frozen where I am, feeling my chest rise and fall with deep breaths. I need to keep myself calm, rip this off like a bandaid. I already searched around her, I don't need to look at her again if I don't want to. I should get this over with so I can find the sick bastard that did this and bring them to justice.

I think Fujimoto says something to me, but I can't hear him as I grab the same pair of skates I wore before, lugging them over to the seats. I put them on and lace them up as fast as I can, paying a little less attention to the laces this time. I can't lose my chance. I have to find the evidence.

Almost everyone who's left here is scattered around on the ice, even though there really isn't much to look at. I remember the scuff marks Saito saw last time and study the ice. I don't see anything irregular about it, just our tracks from moving around. It would be kind of hard to tell if there was anything wrong with it, but, well, we have to try.

There's nothing on this half of the rink other than the CD player she used during her practices. It still sits on the low wall, but it looks all beaten up, broken. Ikeda skates up next to me, coming to a stop. "That's what tripped Yoshida after she knocked it over." He points to the cord that's nearly reaching the ground. "See? There's a bit of a notch from the blade of her skate. It probably severed a few wires."

He's right, the notch is pretty noticeable. The CD player probably won't work anymore because of this. I pop the top of it open out of curiosity. There's no CD inside like there was when Miyuki was working on her program. I don't see why this morning would be any different, but maybe she was working on technical skills instead.

"I don't know what else to look for, or where to look," I admit, running a hand over the top of the CD player once the top is shut again. I try to rack my brain, thinking of what I did last time. "Is someone already collecting alibis?"

He nods after a moment. "I think Nakamura is, but given our routine and when the bo- she was found, I don't think we'll be able to learn anything from them." Much like last time, then, though I do note him tripping over his words. This is going to be tough to figure out once more. A frown fixes on his lips as he looks me over. "Are you sure you're up for this? You look a bit pale. Do you need to sit?"

"I'm fine," I lie, forcing a semi-convincing smile. Despite the cold air, I feel too hot. "This needs to be done, right? I can't sit out."

He's definitely not convinced, but he lets the matter drop as Yasu approaches on the other side of the wall, two e-Handbooks with him. "I found this in the locker room," he says, handing one of them to Ikeda before pocketing the other. "I think it could have something to do with this."

"Are you sure? Couldn't someone have dropped it?" Ikeda asks, puzzled. I don't really see how it makes a difference, either.

"I don't think so." He reaches over and powers it on, revealing the owner of it to be a ghost: Rikimaru Kirika. "See?"

How the hell did that get in the locker room? Where did it even come from? I'm all kinds of confused, and I don't think anyone has a concrete answer. Everything is just so confusing. At least last time, we had evidence to go off of. The evidence we have here could mean anything.

"Why would anyone need Rikimaru's e-Handbook?" Ikeda muses, handing it over to me. I inspect it, but there's nothing alarming about it other than the owner. "Which locker room did you say it was in?"

"The boys' locker room. That's the only one my e-Handbook opens, so it's the only one I can investigation." He looks down for a moment, shuffling his feet. "This is all I came up with after searching."

Yet again, that makes no sense. We can't lend e-Handbooks, so whoever killed Miyuki must've used their own e-Handbook, meaning they're female. But whoever left Rikimaru's e-Handbook in there must've been male, right? My head starts to throb a little, and I lean on the wall. I scowl down at the e-Handbook. What secrets is it hiding?

"We need to figure out where this came from," Ikeda mutters, looking to me and Yasu. "Do you two want to do that?"

"Sure, I guess," I say after a moment. It's not like I have anything else to do, not if I'm sure I've already looked everywhere. Yasu waits patiently for me to take my skates off again. I slide my feet out as soon as possible; tugging at the tight laces takes time we can't afford to waste.

"If I were Monokuma, where would I keep e-Handbooks?" Yasu wonders aloud when we meet outside the locker rooms. I can't think of anywhere right off the top of my head, and I doubt Monokuma would tell us if we called him. Our footsteps are the only sound until we reach the first floor. "Oh, you know what? I was looking around by the main entrance the other day, I think there's some container thing there. We should check it out, just to be sure."

I don't think I've been near the entrance before, so I wouldn't know. I follow him, still holding Rikimaru's e-Handbook. There are spots on the screen from where she touched it before, but I can't make out any fingerprints or anything that would tell us who took it. I sigh through my nose, letting my hand drop to my side. I want to go to my room and ignore all of this. I want it to go away.

"Here!" He points to a plastic drawer on top of a small table. Definitely not the first thing I focused on; the barricaded door is much more eye-catching. He opens it, revealing only one thing: what must be Matsumoto's e-Handbook. "Bingo. This must be where it came from."

"But why use a dead person's e-Handbook anywhere? Isn't that breaking some kind of rule?" The words leave a sour taste in my mouth. I feel pathetic for not having an answer to my own question. If this were actually school, my grades would be down the drain. How humiliating.

"I really don't know." He focuses on the two e-Handbooks for a moment before putting Matsumoto's back in the drawer and shutting it. He turns and faces the way to the nurse's office. "Do you think we should check on Yoshida?"

Not when we have so little evidence. We can't take breaks. But I see the empathy in his face. "You can. I'm going to see if there's any evidence in her room."

I start to go that way, but he catches my arm before I can get far. His mouth is settled in an uneasy frown, his eyes searching mine. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Am I? "Yes. There could be evidence there, like with Matsumoto." Of course, I'll probably be alone if he doesn't come with me. I'll only be in there for a few minutes. "I'll be fine. Promise."

He hesitates for a moment. "Okay," he finally says, still unsure. "I'll come get you when I'm done, alright?"

I nod, and he lets go of my arm. Instead of walking with me, he watches me go, but I don't care. I just keep walking until I find myself outside her room.

Her door, like Matsumoto's, is unlocked. I didn't think about how strange that was before, but Monokuma must've kept their doors unlocked for us to investigate. I push into the room, leaving the door open a crack behind me. I don't feel like closing it.

Her room, like mine, is full of stuff. Instead of the stacks of books like my room, she has trophies, medals, and old framed pictures. I pick up one of the pictures sitting on her desk, studying it. She must've been around seven or eight when this picture was taken, smiling proudly with a large bouquet of flowers and a gold medal around her neck. All of the pictures, I quickly note, are of her and her accomplishments. She's racked up quite a bit of them.

...This isn't what I'm here for. I set the picture back down right where it was and take a wider look around. Her room is neatly kept, but it looks on the edge of not having been lived in. That's at least true of the last few days, spent almost exclusively at the rink. I poke around as much as I feel comfortable with. There's no note in her trash, nothing that would indicate that she was in here just prior to her murder. No evidence of any kind.

I sit down in the center of her room, my legs crossed. Exhaustion sweeps over me as I look around from that perspective. I hunch over, resting my forearms on my legs. Everything in here is so incredibly her that it almost hurts to look at.

At least a minute must've passed before the door creaks open. "Ishikawa, we should go back and investigate more," Yasu says gently. He doesn't need to walk on eggshells around me. I don't want him to.

"How's Yoshida?" I get up slowly before exiting the room. Yasu waits until I'm in the hallway to close the door. I think he tries to not have me notice. I do.

"As far as Sasaki and Maeda can tell, her wrist is definitely sprained, it's kinda swelling, but they wrapped it and have her some pain meds and an ice pack. They were looking for a sling for- extra stability? I think." He shakes his head. "They said they couldn't tell if it was broken since there aren't any x-ray machines, and even if there were, they don't know how to use them. You should've heard Yoshida, though, swearing up a storm."

I'd imagine. That's a pretty sucky position to be in. "Monokuma's still going to make her participate in the trial, though, isn't he."

"I wouldn't put it past him." His brow furrows as we come upon the locker rooms. "No rest for the sick or injured, I guess."

We part there, and I take a quick look around the locker room as I pass through. Nothing catches my eye immediately, nothing that I haven't already seen. Miyuki's duffle bag is still relatively undisturbed; I might've been the only one who'd gone through it. That definitely makes me feel a bit more like it was an invasion of her privacy.

Nakamura is waiting for me when I exit the locker room, waiting by the skates. He pushes himself off of the wall he was leaning on when he sees me. "There you are! I've been looking for you."

It takes me a split second before I remember what for. "You need my alibi?" He nods, already attentive. I think for a second, making sure to get everything right. "Um, I got up a little before the morning announcement, got ready, and went to the dining hall. By the time I got there, it was around seven-ten. Abe and Saito were there as well. Once everyone was in the dining hall, I was sent to come get Miyuki-" my voice breaks a little on her name, and I swallow before continuing. "And I found her. That time is in the Monokuma File."

Even if it's only to soothe me, make me feel better somehow, Nakamura's expression is one of sadness and sympathy. "You didn't see her this morning before finding her?" I shake my head; she was always here before the announcement played. "And you were the first to find her, right?" I nod; I was, at least to my knowledge. "Do you know how much time passed between finding her and when Sasaki came in?" I shake my head again; I didn't even know it was Sasaki who had come in after us. Nakamura taps his thigh a couple times. "Okay, then. When did you last see her?"

I open my mouth and close it again. How late was it? "I think around dinner yesterday? I think most of us were there. She left before six to go to the rink, I didn't see her the rest of the night." Even though she said we would read. She was excited about it.

"Okay, I think I've got it." He sighs, leaning against the wall again. "Well, there's not much variance this time around, either. Not that I expected there to be."

"Please, tell me- is there anything that raises suspicion?" My eyes are wide, pleading. I'm all but begging for suspicion to be cast on anyone. I need to find out who murdered her.

For a moment, he doesn't say anything. When he does, he doesn't meet my eyes. "There is. But let's discuss that in the trial," he adds quickly before I can ask. "Animosity now will only slow down our efforts."

That makes sense, I guess, but I don't want it to. "There's not much time left, is there." I have a feeling that I already know the answer.

"I don't think so." His sympathy has shifted into something else. Maybe apologetic, but mostly...pity. "We'll find them, I promise."

For the Super High-School Level Charmer, his words aren't very comforting. I can tell from here that everyone's starting to slow in their efforts. Abe and Saito are barely paying attention to everyone around the room. I don't know how much more evidence we can possibly find.

I look down to the pile of skates, avoiding Abe's line of sight as he glances over. Thanks to me and Fujimoto, the nine pairs, including Miyuki's, are no longer haphazardly strewn. I look over at the rink once I'm sure Abe isn't looking here; six pairs.

Nine and six.

Only fifteen.

Where's the last pair?

"...Ishikawa? What are you staring at?" Nakamura tries to follow my gaze back and forth between the skates and the rink, but he doesn't collect the dots like I do.

"There's a pair of skates missing." I walk by him, trying to scour the rows of seats for them. They have to be around here somewhere! I don't know if they could be key evidence, and it's not like they're easy to hide.

The locker room door closes, grabbing my attention. "I think I found what you're looking for," Hamasaki says grimly. She lifts a pair of skates that were at her side, the blades a rusty brown. No explanation for that other than dried blood. "They were hidden behind the workout equipment in the girls' locker room."

How did I not see them before? I thought I checked- wait, I didn't. I stopped looking after Yoshida and Sasaki ran through, and before that, I'd only looked at her bag. I start to feel sick. Did I really not examine the room to its fullest?

I shake my head minutely. "Is that what I think it is?" I ask, motioning to the blades of the skates. Hamasaki nods solemnly. Even though I can't see Miyuki from this angle, I look in that direction. "That must be what cut her, then." They look sharp enough for that, and I'm certain I've heard stories of the blades being able to cut flesh. My only question now is how there was evidence in both locker rooms.

"I'm still wondering why there isn't any sign of a struggle," she says, changing the topic. "Something like this seems like there would definitely be a fight, you know? But there's nothing else to say that. No bruises, nothing." And knowing her, Miyuki wouldn't go down without a fight. I know she wouldn't. "There has to be something we haven't found yet. Something that'll clear everything up."

"I mean, we could check around the seats again, but I don't see how there would be anything there," I offer halfheartedly. I don't think evidence will magically show up when we want it to. Maybe if one of us was a magician or something, but we don't have anyone like that in our ranks. How convenient that would be.

"We need to be sure to communicate this time around." Nakamura shakes his head. "We need to be as thorough as possible, and that means knowing absolutely everything beforehand. No more surprises like Yoshida and Oshiro's alibis."

Those hadn't made much of a difference in the long run of the trial, but I know what he's talking about. "You have all of the alibis, I swear we've scoured everything. There was nothing in her room, nothing in here, nothing in the locker room."

If I'm not mistaken, Hamasaki and Nakamura share a quick glance. "Hey, do you want to go check in on Yoshida and the others?" Hamasaki asks, something different playing behind her eyes. She looks to the floor before I can figure out what it is.

"Sure, I guess." It's a strange request given that I was literally just down on the ground floor, but I don't see the harm in it. I go back through the locker room, straining this time to see if there's anything I missed before. As far as I can tell, there isn't.

The walk down is lonely and silent since it's just me this time, but I can't help but feel that I'm being followed. There's no explanation for the feeling; nothing's following me except for the cameras detecting my movement. I don't know if that's how they really work, nor do I want to know, but that's what it feels like. I hurry the rest of the way down.

I linger in the doorway of the nurse's office for a second, knocking on the frame to get their attention. "How's everything going?" I ask, trying to sound calm and casual. I'm certain that I've failed.

"Been better," Yoshida grumbles, staring at her right wrist, propped up by a couple of pillows. Just like Yasu said before, it's been wrapped with a bandage and has an ice pack resting on it.

"Just be glad we found pain meds easily," Sasaki sighs, running a hand over her head to catch hairs that have escaped from her braid. She stands in the corner, still searching for something. Out of the three of them in here, she easily looks the most stressed. "This would've been so much easier if I had a garden here, I know so many combinations for natural pain meds."

Maeda sits on one of the empty cots, not doing much of anything. I wonder if he'd actually helped at all, or is just avoiding investigating. "How's everything upstairs?"

I shake my head, leaning against the frame. Well, it's more like the frame is supporting most of my weight. "I don't know where this is going to go. I just want it to end." I only rub my temples for a second before Sasaki tosses a bottle at me. I scramble to catch it, reading the label: headache medicine. "Thanks." I take one and swallow it dry, putting the bottle on the nurse's desk.

"Control what we can," comes her weary response. Everyone in here is dejected in their own way, either from pain, exhaustion, stress, worry, or a combination of any of those. I feel like the investigation itself is more draining than the arguments of the trial, especially since we have more suspense of when time is going to be called. "We'll meet everyone at the red door when Monokuma calls time, okay?"

I turn to leave before pausing, something popping up from the depths of my mind. "Wait, actually, can I pick your minds for a moment?" They all look at each other, but nod. "How do you think the motive fits into all of this? I haven't been able to figure it out." Not that I gave it much thought to begin with.

Everyone is quiet for a moment, thinking. "Whoever did this probably has the video," Maeda eventually supplies. "Then they killed to get out of this hellhole."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Yoshida says dryly. She adjusts the ice pack, wincing and cursing quietly as the pressure lands again. "Whoever did this is going to pay for it, don't worry." As if she needs to be the one reassuring me right now when she's the one with a busted wrist.

Sasaki takes longer to chew on the thought carefully. "Honestly? Who knows if the motive fits in at all. This could be a personal matter for all we know."

That's exactly what I'm afraid of, and I hope I don't show it. I don't even know if she had any issues with anyone because we never discussed it. We never felt that we had to discuss it. "Alright, thanks. I'll be heading back, then."

The monitors choose that moment to flicker to life. Monokuma's gleeful smile permeates the static. "Time's up, bastards! Get yourselves down to the red door ASAP! Let's get this going!"

We look to each other grimly. "We'll catch up in a second," Sasaki says, producing a sling from a mound of medical supplies. The relief on Yoshida's face is instant at the thought of the stability, but doesn't last too long. We know what's coming for us this time. Best case scenario, we lose one more of us. Worst case scenario, only one of us lives, all of our blood on their hands.

Maeda and I start down on our own, not breaking the silence the entire way. We're the first ones there, waiting for the upstairs group to come down. Sasaki and Yoshida actually come in before them, fitting into the more spacious room easily. For a fleeting moment, I convince myself that Miyuki will show up with them. She doesn't.

A minute after the larger group comes in, Monokuma moseys in, doing a quick head count to make sure we're all here. "Alrighty! We're all here on time, good for you! Pile on into the elevator and we'll get moving. I'll meet you down."

He disappears, and I hold my breath a little as we climb in. It's empty without her hand to hold, but I'm more determined than ever to finish this quickly. I will bring her justice, even if it's the last thing I do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys think you're ready for the trial? Don't forget to comment, especially if you want to theorize who did it!


	10. Chapter 2 Part V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna promo this again cuz I'm still really proud of it: https://uquiz.com/2UHZ0G

Thirteen of us, and yet the elevator doesn't shake any less than before. Without Miyuki here to steady me, I can barely keep myself upright. I wrap my arms around my midsection and try shifting my weight with the elevator.

As we get closer to the trial room, I mutter to myself over and over in rapidfire Spanish, the most comforting language for me, telling myself not to cry. I have to hold myself together, just like I did for Matsumoto's trial. But she's not here to hold my hand. She's not here to be the strong leader. She's not here to give me encouraging looks from the opposite side of the trial room.

All I get as I make myself at home at my podium is the portrait of her with the giant red X.

I barely hear Monokuma explaining the rules again. In fact, even if I could hear him over the blood rushing in my ears, I wouldn't listen. Those rules are hard to forget. The trial room falls silent once he gives us the go-ahead. "Who did it?" The words slip out before I can stop them, my gaze hardening into a glare. "Who killed her?"

Nobody answers me. The raw emotion I felt when I saw her boils up again in my stomach. I don't expect whoever did it to actually confess, but I want to have something to go off of. Abe clears his throat, averting his eyes from my glare. "Let's start like we did before, with the Monokuma File." Is he… Is he ignoring me? "The file says Ueda's cause of death is hypothermia."

"That makes sense, given where she was found," Oshiro says, shivering a little. "It's super cold in there, even my jacket wasn't warm enough."

Aoyama, being Aoyama, decides to add his two cents before Abe can continue. "I find it odd that quite some time went by between sending Ishikawa to get her and Sasaki following. So if I may make the first accusation-"

"You can't be serious." I know exactly where he's trying to go with this. My nails carve tiny crescents into the wood of the podium. "You think I killed Miyuki?" I can't believe this. I actually can't believe this. Not two minutes into the trial and I'm the first suspect. "I don't even know how much time passed-"

"Twenty minutes." Nakamura's quiet voice makes my head jerk over to him. Just like Abe, he avoids my gaze. Does he really think I killed her? "Twenty minutes passed-"

"But that's not long enough to die of hypothermia, is it?" Yasu shakes his head in disbelief. "Not to mention, I can't imagine that Ishikawa would kill someone so close to her."

I'm glad I at least have him on my side. "I would never. All of you should know that! And besides, I don't think you have any evidence other than that."

"That's not true," Yoshida says after a beat passes. The hesitation in her voice is faint, barely there. She seems convinced. "The blood on you, isn't that Ueda's?"

I glance down at my knees. How did I not clean it off before the trial? It's all dried now, but of course it looks like incriminating evidence, since I'm the only one with any blood on them. "I was kneeling next to her and my knees were at the edge of the pool of blood. You all saw that."

Hamasaki shifts uncomfortably. "There was also the evidence in the girls' locker room after you searched it. You said you searched it thoroughly, but I still found the evidence that was hidden. Since Saito was out on the rink, how do we know you didn't try hiding them?"

I open my mouth to defend myself, but nothing comes out. Even with the trepidation in her eyes, she isn't defending me. Nobody is except for Yasu. What's that supposed to tell me? Where are the bonds we all had before? Are they really willing to throw them away like that?

I look down at my podium. "Well? Is that an admission of guilt?" Aoyama asks, taunting me. My eyes meet his and- hold on. Is that panic? He looks away before I can say for sure.

"There's no way Ishikawa went to the rink, injured Ueda, and had her cause of death be hypothermia all in twenty minutes," Abe says in a tired voice. "Don't forget that hypothermia is what killed her, not anything else we found."

"Let's take this one step at a time," Sasaki says, her hands out in a placating gesture. From that alone, I can't tell if she's going to accuse me, too. I sincerely hope not. "We're going to get nowhere if we jump to conclusions like that. And you all saw Ishikawa when we got to the rink; she was in shock."

"Yeah, she couldn't believe she'd just killed Ueda," Maeda snorts, looking at me in contempt. I take a breath, trying to calm myself. He has no right to say something like that.

Yasu shakes his head. "Innocent until proven guilty," he counters. His scowl deepens a touch. "Let's do what Sasaki said and go through this. Then we can see what we can figure out _before_ casting blame, yeah?"

From his judge's chair, Monokuma pouts. "Aw, but casting blame is so fun!"

"Shut up," Ikeda tells him, rolling his eyes. "So what do you suggest we go over first, if you're so keen on that?"

Yasu doesn't say anything for a moment, probably not expecting a question like that. Oshiro steals our attention by humming loudly. "Y'know, I just can't believe it wasn't Maeda who was killed. He had that death omen, after all."

Maeda throws his hands up at the mention of that again. "I told you it was just bullshit, didn't I?" He sounds as triumphant as someone coming in fourth place at the Olympics. Oshiro looks like she's about to leap over her podium at him, but decides not to at the last moment. That's probably a wise decision.

"Everyone, calm down," Saito orders in the terse voice of a teacher. She nods to Abe for him to continue.

He looks miffed that he was cut off in the first place, but does as she says. "I was going to say, the cause of death should be strange, especially given the other injuries Ueda sustained."

"Any head injury that might not have been in the file- causing her glasses to break- could be a skating accident," Fujimoto suggests, but he doesn't sound convinced. I'm definitely not; she's the best of the best. Even if she's alone, she's too careful to let something like that happen. And how could she hit her head hard enough for the side of her glasses to crack?

"Even if it was a skating accident, how would that factor into the trial? And what about the cuts? There's no way for her to get cuts like that while skating, or at all unless someone gave them to her," Nakamura points out. "Actually, Monokuma, would we have a trial for a natural death or a one-person accident?"

He looks surprised at the question, and actually, I'm a little surprised, too. "It depends on the circumstances. If the death is ambiguous, then of course we need an investigation!" He laughs his obnoxious laugh. "But thanks to your omniscient headmaster- yours truly- that's not a problem! I always know what the cause of death is, that's why it's in the Monokuma File. I wouldn't put information in there if it weren't true."

That's...fair of him, I guess. "So like Nakamura said," Yoshida follows up, "someone had to give her those cuts. Ueda's death was no accident."

I didn't even think we needed to confirm that part. Aoyama sighs obnoxiously loud. Any trace of panic I may have seen earlier is gone. "Don't tell me: another kitchen knife?"

"No," I tell him crossly. "Hamasaki already found what was used."

She looks likes I put her on the spot, even though she knows exactly what I'm talking about. She'd even brought it up already. "I found a pair of ice skates nestled behind a pile of equipment in the girls' locker room. The blades are covered in dried blood." She falls silent and thinks for a second. "I guess if the blood is dry, the blades would've been used more than twenty minutes beforehand. Sorry, Ishikawa."

"Hold on, water dries that fast, doesn't blood?" Maeda asks, I assume out of curiosity.

"It doesn't," Yasu assures him. "Blood usually takes an entire night to dry from a wound or on a blade. It would only dry in twenty minutes if it were a really thin layer, which it's not." Yoshida nods, backing him up, though a hint of curiosity plays in her eyes.

Aoyama tilts his head. "And you know this because…"

"My mom. Again." He shrugs, trying to avoid Aoyama's gaze. "It's no big deal."

I hadn't considered how long it takes blood to dry, but given that the blood on my knees was just starting to, I guess it makes sense. "I'd noticed earlier that a pair of skates was missing from the pile. That's where they were, and they had to have been what was used."

Saito looks to everyone else for confirmation. "There was nothing else that could've been used? It's possible that the skates are a red herring."

"Nothing else was found," Sasaki confirms. I grip my podium tightly; it hurts that they didn't take my word for it. Even with Yasu's support, I'm not as easily believed. "Nakamura, did you find anything incriminating in the alibis?"

He shakes his head. "Only that Ishikawa was the first to find her, then you and then the rest of us."

Right, so those don't help much. A beat passes before Abe asks, "What time frame did you take alibis for?"

"This morning, why?"

I don't see what's wrong with that, but Aoyama starts laughing. "Idiot. The file didn't say what time she died. It might not have been this morning."

Shit. I didn't remember that, either. "It must've been this morning, though," Yoshida insists, though she sounds unsure herself. "Didn't anyone see her last night?"

Everyone slowly shakes their heads. My stomach clenches. I don't want to think that she was there all night. Alone. Probably scared. I look up, trying to blink the tears out. _Don't think about it._

"Wait, wait," Nakamura interrupts, waving his hands in front of him. "Were the alibis I collected not even relevant?" He sighs, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Wish I would've know that before."

"Maybe if you'd paid attention to the cause of death," Aoyama snarks, but everyone ignores him. As they should.

Abe nods carefully. "To establish a frame of reference, we need to figure out who the last person to see her was. Anyone care to start?"

He looks right at me. I shrink back a little as everyone else's eyes follow his. "Didn't we all see her at the same time?" Oshiro says with a little shrug. "She was at dinner, everyone but Aoyama and Yasu were there. So unless someone saw her after dinner…"

Again everyone looks at me. "She's been at the rink almost every waking hour, you all know that. Nobody saw her the rest of the night."

The same disapproval from Abe last night hits me again. "Didn't you say the two of you were going to...what was it? Tell more of a story?"

"What's he talking about?" Hamasaki asks, genuinely curious. "A story?"

"That's got to mean something else," Maeda says, the hint of a mocking smile playing on his face. "Like when someone says they're late because they're doing stuff and the other person is-"

I shake my head emphatically, a blush spreading across my face. "No! Nothing like that." I'm sure to choose my words carefully. "After the last trial, Miyuki came to me for a distraction and-"

Yoshida nods with a smirk. "Yeah, get it, girl."

"You guys are disgusting! We didn't even kiss or anything!" As much as I may have wanted to. "She just wanted me to read something to her, so I started reading her _Don Quijote_ and we were going to continue last night but she never showed up." I cross my arms tightly across my chest, daring anyone to make any lewd comment now. "Completely innocent."

Abe chews on a thought for a second. "So when I was certain someone had been out at nighttime that night-"

"Miyuki and I went on an Oreo run. We were hungry." I hang my head a bit. "Sorry about breaking our rules."

"Nothing can be done about that now." He thinks again. "So to fit the window, we need alibis from six last night to, what, seven-forty this morning?"

Maeda whistles, his eyebrows raised. "That's a pretty big window to cover. Can we do it?"

"We have to," Yasu reminds him. The words spill out of his mouth easily in determination, even though he looks a bit surprised at himself. "We can't not figure this out. Ueda is- was- our friend. We need to find her killer."

"Not to mention, our lives are in the balance." Great, Aoyama, lovely addition. Because we need another reminder that's really a distraction. Is the stress of that reminder worth it? I wonder.

Sasaki taps her fingers against her podium. Her eyes are focused on the ground in front of her. "We need to slow this down. Maybe focus on simple questions, like when, where-"

Oshiro points at her excitedly. "You're onto something."

She blinks in surprise. "Where?"

"I was gonna say just the simple questions part, but 'where' works also." She shrugs with a careless smile, planting her hands on her hips. "I mean, it's pretty obvious where she was killed. It's like last time: no blood trails."

"Those would've been noticeable on the ice," Hamasaki agrees. "Besides, I don't think you could die of hypothermia in the locker room. It's not that cold in there."

"Maybe she was attacked while she was practicing?" Fujimoto suggests tentatively. I notice that, for one of the first times, he doesn't have his notebook with him. It must be safely stored in his room. "She was out on the ice and someone ambushed her." That would make the most sense, but…

But wait. "No, that's wrong! Remember, Miyuki always had her hair up and her contacts in when she was skating."

Fujimoto blinks at me. "Wasn't her hair up?"

"It was, yeah, but she was wearing her glasses and her regular clothes. Her practice outfit and her contacts were in her duffle bag in the locker room, and so were the CDs she usually uses to practice. I checked." The only thing I really did check, but that's beside the point. The CDs nag at me, but I can't put a finger on why.

"That narrows down the times, at least," Abe says. "Ueda was either getting ready to go skating this morning, or finishing last night. Given that it would take a couple hours at best to succumb to hypothermia in the ice rink…"

"It would be safe to assume that she died sometime during the night," Saito finishes. I choke down a sob. I was right. I don't want to be. She must've suffered. I bite my lip, feeling the sting from where I cut it last time.

She was finishing her routine. She had put her CDs away already, safe in her bag. She had already changed and taken out her contacts. She was taking her hair out. She was going to come see me so we could read and talk.

How did last night go so wrong?

Nakamura runs a hand down his face. "So the alibis have no relevance whatsoever." I do feel a bit bad about that, but it's much less of a big deal than he's making it out to be.

"Just recollect them," Maeda grouches, "but this is going to end up like last time. She would've died while we were all sleeping."

I lean hard on my podium, my palms sweating. My chest is constricting. It feels like it's getting harder to breathe, because he's right, he's right, she died and if I had gone to see her once more I could've prevented it. I can feel my knees growing weak, I feel myself sinking, and-

"Ishikawa," Yasu whispers, reaching over and putting a hand on my shoulder. He squeezes lightly, bringing my senses back. "Deep breaths. Keep breathing."

God, how pathetic can I be? I try to zero in on the conversation again. I can't break down here. With another deep breath and a comforting nod from Yasu, I look up and meet the eyes of Miyuki's portrait.

She would want me to end this.

"-anything that could be evidence. I do not believe there was any sign of a struggle, there was no sign of the like on Ueda's body," Saito's saying.

My brain is still fried, but something pops up in my mind. "Maybe not a struggle, but did you see the bloodstains on the wall?" I ask, my voice somewhat hoarse. "Could those mean something?"

"I don't know about that." Maeda shifts his weight a little. "What could it possibly mean, y'know?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked." A biting tone comes with my words, an edge to each one of them. My thoughts race around that piece of evidence, trying to connect it to a struggle somehow. Okay. Think.

There were bloodstains on the low wall.

The only other blood was from the pool underneath her.

There aren't any drag marks through the blood.

...Wait. Maybe not drag marks, but- "The edges of the blood were smeared, like something had moved through them. The blood on the wall doesn't rise up far- she probably tried to get herself out of there before too much time had passed, don't you think? It's not a struggle against someone else, but it's a struggle to save herself."

My words bring the atmosphere down even more than it already was. "I hadn't considered that," Sasaki admitted, her hands falling to her sides. "I guess that helps us get a picture of the situation, she tried to get up. But because of the cuts in her legs, she couldn't support herself so she couldn't pull herself up more than partway. Not to mention, she wasn't wearing skates, so she couldn't have gotten far anyway."

It's depressing to think about. How long did it take for her to give in to this? How much did she fight? I feel myself losing focus again and try to take deep breaths. So maybe this didn't have anything to do with the evidence, it doesn't really further the trial, but it's out there. Will this help anything in the long run, or did I just waste time?

"I feel like this got off-topic," Abe says, clearly irritated. "Ishikawa, you checked the locker room. Did you find anything else in there?"

Okay. Topic change. Locker room. "There wasn't anything too amiss that I saw? Um, her duffle bag was open, but nothing was missing from it." Something's on the tip of my tongue- I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I keep on. "There wasn't anything suspicious in her bag. Oh, there was a small spot of blood under the bench, though."

"That sounds important," Yoshida says, tugging at one of her pigtails. "Was it from-" she points to my knees. The blood still isn't fully dried there.

"No, it was almost unreachable, and dry. That means it was old." I think a little more. "And I never knelt down fully, I didn't want to get blood everywhere. It would've created false evidence."

"But the only other place there was blood was under Ueda, from the cuts," Maeda says, picking at a thread on his jacket. "No blood leading to or from the locker room, no sign that she had been moved. That was probably from something else."

A few people don't seem convinced. It's not just me this time. "It's possible that whoever killed her injured her in the locker room first and dumped her in the rink before cleaning up," Aoyama points out, full of himself as usual for thinking of something so basic. "Which narrows it down to the girls. Care to explain yourselves?"

I frown as I look at the others. "Is it really okay to narrow it down this much so fast?" Sasaki asks, shifting uneasily. "I mean, isn't there still evidence to go over?"

"We narrowed it down this much last time, and only the girls have access to the girls' locker room," Nakamura says hesitantly. "It would make the most sense, you have to admit that."

"But it's like this: whoever injured her in the locker room would've had to carry her out to the rink, probably as she was trying to fight," Hamasaki points out, her mouth set in a line. "If this is even the case, you know? The blackened would've had to be substantially strong enough to carry her and keep her subdued. I think that would only leave Saito and most of the boys."

Maeda dusts his hands off. "Looks like we have our culprit, then! Now we just need motive-"

"Yes, the motive. Thank you for bringing that up." Maeda seems surprised that Saito's keeping her cool, but we all know that's just how she is. "Rather, how the motive fits into all of this."

The tablets, right. Something familiar presses against my thoughts, telling me that I'm missing something. "Well, not that it matters much now, but who among us checked their tablet?" Abe asks, raising his hand without hesitation. I'm actually surprised at this show of hypocrisy, yet again. One by one, everyone's hands go up, often in shame for breaking our promise. "And how many of you had the video?" We all watch each other to see who keeps their hand up. Slowly, my hand comes to cover my mouth. "So unless someone is lying, we know who had the motive video."

Miyuki...had the motive video? "Monokuma! Can you tell us what was in the video?" Yasu asks, sounding almost pained.

Monokuma tsks, shaking his head. "Y'see, I would, but then it would lose its novelty! Its mystery! Also," he shrugs, "I forgot to make a copy of the file. The only one was in that single tablet."

Frickin...of course. "I don't get it," Ikeda says after a second, turning to Abe. "Ueda is the victim. How would anyone know if she had the motive?"

"She might've told someone." He looks to me immediately, but I shake my head before he can ask. He continues. "It's possible that someone overheard or saw her watching it when she thought she was alone- maybe even at the rink?"

Fujimoto shakes his head. "So we can't even tell who that could be."

I blink, the thought that's been bothering me this entire time suddenly bursting to the forefront of my brain. "It wasn't there!"

"...What wasn't there?" Yoshida asks, looking at me strangely.

"Her tablet! Remember, I looked through her bag. Everything was there, nothing was out of place, but she didn't have her tablet with her." How could I have forgotten that crucial piece of evidence?

Sasaki cocks her head. "But couldn't it have been in her room? Not being in one place doesn't mean anything."

Yasu and I share a look before I answer. "I went into Miyuki's room; it was unlocked for the investigation, I think. Her tablet wasn't in there, I would've noticed." The only one who could possibly refute how attentive I was is Yasu, but I don't think he will. The argument stands.

"It's likely that the blackened took it from the crime scene, maybe to watch it a few times over," Abe suggests, his face still stone. "Perhaps it was to get rid of what prompted them to kill Ueda."

Oshiro puts her chin in her hands. "Yeah, but it's not like we can get someone to admit that they took it." Everyone's eyes land on her. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Yoshida grins at her, though it's somewhat watered-down. "You, my friend, might just be a genius! Let's do that."

"I- what? Do we just keep talking until whoever took it caves?" Hamasaki asks, gripping a lock of her hair and tugging. It slips out from the confines of her headband. "Or something like that?"

"Definitely something like that, but we should clear up one thing," I say after nobody responds. "We should open this up to the boys. Just humor me on this, okay?"

Yasu gives me a tiny nod of approval. He understands what I'm going to do. After all, there's no way to get evidence into the boys' locker room if a boy wasn't involved. Aoyama's eyes glitter in interest. "I don't feel the need to defend myself here," he starts somewhat defiantly. That's fine; he's not exactly my target.

Yoshida snorts at his comment. "Yeah, you're too scrawny to have carried her all that way into the rink. You would've dropped her immediately."

"It's not like she was very heavy," Maeda retorts, continuing off-topic. But something in me is reluctant to remind everyone what we're supposed to be talking about. "And you have weights just like we do. A little lifting and you'd be able to do it."

Abe sighs through his nose. "Well, I don't think I'd be able to carry her." Straightforward and honest. I can't see any muscles under his clothes, but I definitely don't think they're there.

"I mean… I might be able to? But I didn't," Sasaki rushes to say after staring at her arms for a moment. "Nor do I think anyone was in the locker room enough to get that much definition."

"I would be able to," Saito concedes, "but I didn't. Murder is unbecoming of any respectable athlete."

...Hold up. Did I hear what I think I just heard? "Back up for a second. Can you repeat what you said, Maeda?"

He blinks at me slowly. "I just said you have weights in your locker room, too."

Abe understands first, then Yoshida, Yasu, Saito, and everyone else. I wet my lips a bit and look at the girls. "Did anyone tell the boys what specifically is in our locker room?" Everyone shakes their heads, as I expect. Is this it? Is this what I've been looking for? I look up at Miyuki's portrait, hoping for a sign of any kind.

Maeda laughs nervously, crossing his arms. "You're going to go off on an assumption like that? That's not really strong reasoning."

We didn't catch him using the video like I thought we would be able to, but I might be able to use it now. I just need to think of how. How can I use this to my advantage?

"It's not," I admit, "but let's keep this discussion going, yeah? That way you can prove it wasn't you."

The tension in his shoulders eases just a touch, enough to tell me that he thinks he can still do this. Enough to tell me that he really is guilty. "I'll show you I'm innocent."

"How can we tell, if Monokuma won't tell us what specifically was on the video?" Nakamura asks, looking between all of us for an answer. I don't have one quite yet; I need to keep thinking and somehow act like I know what I'm doing at the same time.

"We'll be able to tell," I assure him in my most confident tone, my sights not leaving Maeda. This goes a bit off on a limb, but… "We can start by checking everyone's tablets." Maeda recoils just a touch, and I narrow my eyes. "I assume that everyone had theirs on them at the time of the investigation, and nobody had the time to run back to their room to put it there for safekeeping. If we boot them all up, we may be able to tell who's lying."

Yasu, still on my side, is the first to take out his tablet and power it on. The words in white flash on the black screen: "Sorry, this is not the motive." One by one, everyone takes out their tablets and turns them on. One by one, each is revealed to not be the motive.

Maeda is the last to reach for his tablet. I can see his hands shake; he's caught between a rock and a hard place. Everything that's happened today could lead to one thing: a scrambled brain. That's what I'm counting on. If I'm wrong about that, I have no way to prove this. My entire argument will fall apart. Beneath my podium, I cross my fingers.

He powers on his tablet. The words flash across the screen. My heart sinks. "See, I told you I didn't have the motive," he says, his chest puffed out in pride for something he should not be proud of.

"I never accused you of having the motive," I say calmly, placating. "I only accused you of having Miyuki's tablet with you. But it's obvious you don't, otherwise you would've mixed them up." He nods slowly, apprehensive of how calm I am. For all he knows, this could be the calm before the storm. In a way, it is. "But you wouldn't mix them up anyway, I don't know why I thought that."

"Yeah," he mutters before clearing his throat. "Yeah, I wouldn't mix them up. Kinda hard to if hers is-" He stops himself just short of what he was going to say, his eyes going wide.

Abe narrows his eyes at him. "If hers is…what?"

We're all onto him now, more so than before. "Finish the sentence," Yoshida challenges him, her lips twisted into a scowl.

"Nothing!" He's sweating now, his eyes darting around. "E-even if I have her tablet, which I don't, there's no way for me to get into the locker room. No way to murder her!" he protests, tugging at his jacket. He's nervous.

And there is a way. He knows it. I know it. It's time to finish this. "You know, Maeda-"

His eyes grow a bit wilder, a bit more frantic. "Shut up."

"It's against the rules to lend out our e-Handbooks."

"You can't prove that I did it!"

I steel myself against him, my voice raising in volume. "But is it lending if the person it belongs to is dead?"

A deep-set growl builds in his throat. "I told you, shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Don't I? Because in the boys' locker room-"

"Stop!"

"Yasu found-"

"Stop, you idiot!"

I take a breath. "Rikimaru's e-Handbook! That's how you know what's inside our locker room when you never should have stepped foot in it, and that's how you injured Miyuki before leaving her to die in the ice rink. Isn't it?"

He's quiet, but he starts sucking in more and more breath like he's going to shout. His entire frame is trembling. "You don't understand! I- I had to!"

"You had to? Or you did anyway?" Aoyama challenges him, turning his face away from Maeda in disgust.

Abe catches my eye, holding my gaze for the first time in a while. "Break it down for him. It'll be over then."

The same thing he asked me to do last time. The same thing Miyuki urged me to do. All eyes are on me once more. I take a breath and straighten my posture, trying to appear less run-down than I feel. "Okay. Here's how it went down.

"Miyuki spent most of yesterday at the rink- we know this. I mean, she's the Super High-School Level Figure Skater. Throughout the day that's where she could be found. Last night when she was done, she had already changed and was getting ready to meet me so we could continue our book. That's why she had her glasses on rather than contacts. She never wore her glasses when she was on the ice. Her skates were off and she was in the middle of packing her duffle bag back up when the blackened came in, using Rikimaru's e-Handbook.

"Seeing the blackened in the girls' locker room caught her off-guard. That was the blackened's time to strike; they had gone through the boys' locker room beforehand and grabbed a pair of skates from the rink. They took the chance of her being frozen in place and overpowered her, cutting into Miyuki's thighs with the blades of the skates. The force knocked her over, and she couldn't get herself up because of the pain. That made it easier for the blackened to pick her up and carry her into the rink. While her wounds were bleeding, they started bleeding much more when she got to the rink, where the blood soaked right through her torn leggings.

"There wasn't much left for the blackened to do after that. Miyuki couldn't move, as much as she tried to. Nobody would check on her, since it was late enough to assume that she was in her room. The blackened would let her die from hypothermia so there would be less blood on their hands, literally and figuratively. They cleaned whatever blood was tracked over into the rink and through the girls' locker room and ditched the skates behind some of the equipment in there. That was both to conceal the evidence and make it seem like the blackened was female. And that worked for a while- but instead of putting the e-Handbook back, the blackened placed it, or maybe even dropped it accidentally, in the boys' locker room.

"From the locker room, from Miyuki's bag, the blackened took the tablet showing the motive video. That was their reason for killing Miyuki, just as it was likely Miyuki's reason for avoiding the topic of the motive entirely. How did they know she had it? The blackened, you see, was at the rink earlier with her. Chances are, she thought she was alone and started watching it in between practicing her programs. The blackened had come in without her noticing and saw part of it before announcing their presence and pretending they didn't see any of it. To them, Miyuki made herself an easy mark by never being with anyone for more than an hour, by avoiding the motive. She inadvertently painted herself as someone who could be overtaken like she was.

"The blackened in this case was someone who _knew_ they could overpower her, someone who had faith in their strength. That person is Maeda Hayao, Super High-School Level Track Star!"

My frown deepens when Maeda doesn't say anything in response. Is he going to say anything? Everyone else in the room looks at him, varying degrees of disbelief and disgust on their faces. Monokuma looks between all of us, his wicked smile growing. "This seems as good a time as any for voting time!" he announces. The voting buttons push up from the podiums again; three of them are now dark.

"Here we go again," Yasu mutters to himself before pressing a button. I exhale before doing the same. No way around it if we want to live.

Monokuma tallies the votes shortly after they come in. I already know the verdict of guilty is correct, but hearing it come out of Monokuma's mouth makes my stomach sink. "You kids sure are good at this, even with all that confusion in the beginning!" he cackles, his paws holding his stomach.

I ignore him and lift my head to glare at Maeda. He's almost blurry; tears are starting to cloud my vision again. "Why? What was so bad in that video that you had to kill Miyuki?" He doesn't say anything. I slam my hand against my podium, ignoring the shock of pain that accompanies the movement. _"Answer me!"_

He doesn't look at me. He doesn't look at any of us. Just looks down at his hands, which are trembling. His entire frame is trembling. "You don't know. I… I killed her…"

"Tell us what was on the video," Yoshida urges in a vaguely threatening tone, tugging at one of her pigtails again. "Just tell us. Nothing is stopping you."

His eyes are faraway when he looks at her. "No." He doesn't say anything more than that, looks away from her burning glare. There's nowhere safe for him to look except the floor.

"Knowing what's on the video will only make us want to murder, too, is that right?" Abe asks, eliciting a reluctant nod from Maeda. I suppose that makes sense, but rage still boils in my stomach. We won't get anything more out of him.

My hands curl and uncurl into fists and back again. "Why?" I ask again, trying to make sense of this still. I don't know if he could hear me from across the trial room. I don't even know if I said it out loud.

He finally looks up at me, meeting my eyes. "If you saw the video, you would understand."

My jaw drops in disbelief. I don't think I could ever justify killing one of our friends, nor understand it. Before I can shout at him, curse him in thirty languages, Monokuma sighs loudly. "This is boooo-ring! Let's proceed, shall we?"

Maeda's head whips over to him, his eyes wide and panicked just like Rikimaru's were. "N-no! You…" Something clicks as he backs up from his podium. "You have to catch me first!" he shouts as he takes off running.

Monokuma watches him go before shrugging. "You can run all you want, but… Iiiiiiiiit's PUNISHMENT TIME!" He hits the red button in front of him, his beady red eye glowing.

Execution of the Super High-School Level Track Star

~Suicide Sprints~

I can't tear my eyes off of Maeda as he runs down the hall towards the execution chamber, avoiding the collar that caught Rikimaru. I don't think I've seen him run at full speed before. It barely took him a second to clear the trial room.

Monokuma's black eye narrows slightly as he tracks Maeda's movement. He pushes a bunch of buttons on a remote control he got from somewhere. When we can no longer see Maeda down the hall, a live feed pops up on a monitor. Even though Maeda seems to think he can, I highly doubt any of us are escaping this.

Multiple hurdles pop up in his path as Monokuma presses the buttons, one after another. Maeda clears them easily, almost seeming to pick up speed. For a second, I delude myself into thinking that he can make it out, that he can outrun Monokuma.

The camera angle shifts, showing the path ahead- including a door. My stomach lurches as I see him get closer and closer to it- and watch the ground almost retract into itself, revealing a gaping hole right in front of the door.

He doesn't realize for a moment that there's nothing in front of him. There's no way he'll be able to stop in time. He keeps running, but when he looks down at his feet, there's nothing. I can see the terror and despair on his face. He screams as he falls until the sound is cut off. The video shuts off shortly after.

Monokuma puts on the pity act again, looking at his feet. "Well, he had it comin', don't you think? Killing a flower in her prime and alla that."

I can feel myself trembling. I can't take my eyes off of the blackened monitor. The person who killed Miyuki is now dead, and I put him there. That doesn't make me any better than him.

Nobody's at their podiums anymore. Just like she did a couple days ago, Sasaki finds me and puts an arm around me to keep me upright. "It's over," she says softly, caring. "You can go rest-"

That same static from before cuts her off. "There it is again!" Hamasaki says, cautious relief washing over her. I frown. What will this mean?

"Ca- us?" the voice says, just a sliver more clear this time. I can tell with some certainty that the speaker is female. "Get- out! Stay- are!"

Quicker than last time, before any more can be said, the feed is once again shut off. Monokuma doesn't say anything to us this time, just glares and glares. "Let's get in the elevator," Sasaki suggests, corralling us all in while still managing to support me. There's more room, but that doesn't come as a surprise.

We leave Monokuma down in the trial room in his fury. A wave of nausea hits me, so I keep staring straight ahead. I won't allow myself to break down.

Just like last time, it's only a little after noon. I'm not sure if anyone's talking to each other. I can't hear them. I just want to get back.

When I get to my room, I don't throw up. The nausea passes, exchanging itself by breaking the dam holding in my tears. I cry like a child, wailing and even screaming. Nobody's going to hear me. I've held it in too long. It all comes pouring out.

It feels like I don't run out of tears for an hour. My throat is tight, thick, making it hard to breathe. My pillow is thoroughly soaked. I don't need to check a mirror to know that I look like a wreck. I'm not tired now, either, but I'm not going to go outside. The only plausible option is to stay in here, maybe read-

My head pivots towards my books, my eyes landing on _Don Quijote._ The bookmark is right were we left it the other night. I grab for it frantically, thumbing over to that page. Slowly, I push myself up and settle into my bed like I did before when I read to her. Clearing my throat as best as I can, I pick back up where I left off.

Reading aloud, I can almost trick myself into believing that she's right next to me, that her head is on my shoulder and her eyes closed as she listens, that faint smile on her lips. I can almost trick myself into believing that her hand is loosely holding mine.

I can trick myself into believing that everything is alright.

**X-X-X**

"..."

"Why is it still happening?"

"..."

"I'm trying my best, but…"

"I guess I need to try harder."

"I have to."

**SURVIVING STUDENTS: 12**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Y'all are dealing with a high school graduate now :3)
> 
> Well, well, out of the guesses from the poll and my friends (one for Yasu, one for Aoyama), none were right! I know it was kind of hard to tell from the investigation alone, but I had to be a bit vague, I don't need anyone figuring it out right away!
> 
> I'm also slowly getting better at being okay with the mediocre size of the trials... I still feel like they should be longer though.
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment, I thrive on them! Please take the time to let me know who you want FTEs with next chapter as well!


	11. Chapter 3 Part I

I ignore the knocks that come to my door every so often. My eyes and throat burn from reading and crying. I don't get up to eat or check to door. If I ignore the knocking long enough, it goes away. It never stays longer than five or so minutes. It ends after the nighttime announcement and begins again after the morning one. At around ten in the morning, it ends again. Instead, a paper is slipped under my door. It takes me ten minutes to make myself get up to retrieve it.

_We're checking out the third floor,_ it reads. _That's where we'll be if you need anything. Please be sure to eat something. -Sasaki_

I don't care about missing this investigation. It's not like there'll magically be an exit. There'll be nothing that can bring her- all of them- back.

I crumple the letter and throw it into my trash can. It lands a foot away. I don't bother getting up to fix it.

As for eating, well, I'm really not hungry, nor do I feel like going anywhere. I wasn't able to sleep last night; I keep seeing her every time I close my eyes longer than to blink. I am fully prepared to not sleep until I pass out. I don't want that to be the way I remember her.

My throat is too raw to read out loud, and I already finished _Don Quijote_. Without anyone listening, I can read fast- or, normal speed for me and Mom. Dad could never hope to understand us when we spoke Spanish at our natural speed.

...I miss them. Do they even know what's happening here? Do they know where I am?

I curl up on my side, that thought adding another layer of sadness to my grief-filled mind. There's nothing I can do to stop any of this. Wish I'd known what I was getting into; I never would have left Sweden, my most recent home. Why did I ever think it was a good idea to accept Hope's Peak's invitation? I could still be with my parents, traveling like always. I wouldn't have gotten into this situation. I wouldn't have had to see my best friend- possibly more than that- dead.

My entire body shudders. I fight the urge to shut my eyes. Nothing good will come if I go outside and investigate. I'll only be filled with more doubt and all of this...despair.

The knocking resumes about an hour later. Another paper slides under my door. _Please come out and eat, if only to let us know you're alright. -Yasu_

Of course; both parental friends sent me notes. And I know that "alright" is just code for "alive." But… there's nothing for me to drink from in here. And I can't stay without food forever.

I shower first, taking my time in the too-hot water. I feel disgusting. I'm hoping this helps, even a little. I didn't even notice that I hadn't washed her blood off of me yet. It runs off, only faintly staining the water. I let the spray run down my face for a minute before finishing and shutting it off. Hopefully it washes away my tearstains.

Lucky for me, nobody's in the halls or the dining hall. I don't need to talk to anyone just yet. I don't even know if I can talk with my throat so raw. I grab a bottle of water, but nothing to eat. The less time I stay out here, the better for me.

So, naturally, my luck runs out. Ikeda comes in, lifting his eyebrows in slight surprise. "Good to see you're alright." Even though I'm clearly not. "How do you feel?"

Awful. Disgusting. "Tired," I eventually settle on, not quite meeting his eyes. There's a strain in my voice just from the one word. I clear my throat, but that doesn't help.

He nods like he understands, but he couldn't possibly. He's been calm this entire time. "There's no exit on the third floor," he informs me, "but it's still worth checking out for yourself."

I make a small, noncommittal noise before moving around him to go back to my room. There's nobody else down here; they must all be somewhere else. What's even worse than the thought of not going back to my room is that I… almost don't want to go back. It's comfy, I'm alone, but I already spent most of the day there. My body is itching to go somewhere else. I'm not used to staying in one area for long, emotions be damned. This is what I get for traveling so often.

With a frustrated groan, I turn and start back down the hall to the school building. I run the risk of everyone being upstairs, so instead I hide out in the library for a while. I have all of the books I want in my room, and I already checked for passageways, but this is as good a place as any to kill time. I sit down by a stack of books and try not to think about what's right down the hall.

I keep the library door open a crack, only so I can tell when everyone is done upstairs. I figure I'll check out what's there after that. Until I see them, I play a game, counting the books on the shelves so that each number is in a different language, going through each language I know before I cycle back. It only ends when I lose track of the number- around 137, I think. It's just a small exercise I do sometimes to keep my brain going. If there's one thing I know, it's how quickly I can forget vocab and conjugations if I don't keep using them.

Looks like I chose the right time to mess up, anyway. Footsteps echo down the hall. I inch closer to the door, watching just about everyone walk past. Abe freezes a step after passing, looking back with a critical eye. I step more inside, hoping that if he saw me, he doesn't say anything. I'm still mad at him, mad that he was right and that I'm hurting so much, though that's more Maeda's fault than anyone else's.

That's something, too; the tablets, or at least mine, disappeared. It was gone when I got back from the trial. I'm glad it's gone; it's one less thing that I have to worry about. Then again, it also means that Monokuma was in my room again… somehow.

I wait for the footsteps to cease before emerging, climbing the stairs two at a time. I don't know, there still could be someone up here, but my skin is practically crawling each moment I'm not there. My first impression, naturally, is that it's the same as the other two floors. Only more investigation will show me the differences.

Right across from the stairs is a room that I don't think is a classroom. Classroom doors don't have windows on them, but this one does. I peer inside through it; there are some games in there like darts, pool, some tabletop game I don't recognize, and a whole rack of magazines. They don't look like anything out of the ordinary, but I'll check them when I have more time. Rather, when I'm not conducting my own investigation.

I move down the shorter hallway, to the right of the rec room. There are only two classrooms there, both identical to the others. There's literally nothing different between them except for the awful wallpaper. I don't know how anyone could concentrate in class with wallpaper that distracting. And, as Ikeda said, no exit. It would just be too perfect for one of the iron plates to loosen and fall off of something. At least then we could break the window and call for help.

I shake my head and go back to the other side of the hallway. It takes a fair bit of walking before I arrive at what I think is a large room. I push the door open and flip the light on, wincing a bit when the lights are brighter than I expect.

The room is very expansive, obviously some sort of art room. Easels and supplies are strewn everywhere, across from every table. It's probably an organized chaos sort of thing; someone who frequents the room a lot would be able to get everything they need. On the complete other hand, I can barely draw a hand turkey.

In the very back is a room for storage. I notice that there's a lock on the door, despite there not being a key anywhere. Maybe someone else already took it for safekeeping. There's nothing too interesting in there, just more art supplies, so I leave.

The hallway widens the further I go before splitting into two paths. The one on the right I recognize immediately thanks to the barred stairway. It obviously leads to the next floor, leading me to wonder how many floors there are in total. At least four, it seems.

The only door to my left is wide open, leaving me with my jaw dropped. I don't know what I'm looking at, but whatever it is, it's huge. I can't tell if it's a machine, and if it is, if it's on or not. There's a sort of deck for observation near the top, with a ladder leading up to it. I don't know how stable it is, so I don't climb it. I don't want anything to happen without anyone else around. Everything in this room is so beyond my technical knowledge, it feels like if I touch anything, I'm going to break it. I can't even tell if anything here is important or not. Even the closet is like that, full of things I don't understand.

"It's interesting, isn't it?" I jump at Yoshida's voice behind me, just barely avoiding crashing into the metal thing. She waves her hand in the air, looking almost as surprised as I am. "Ah, I probably should've announced myself! Oh, well. Lemme tell ya, it's kinda cool to see all of this! Not that I know what it is." She raps the machine with her knuckles, echoing a hollow metallic sound. She smiles oddly at it before sobering up and turning back to me. "Are you feeling better?"

"No." Silence blankets us for a few beats. "How's your wrist?"

She regards it and shrugs. "Still hurts like a bitch, but I have a high pain tolerance. Comes with the whole luck thing." Her tone turns bitter at the end, and I'm reminded about what she told me about her talent. It's awkward for a good minute, the two of us just looking at each other, before she clears her throat. "Um, I'm gonna get something to eat, do you-?"

"No. Thanks." I feel her steal another glance at me before she leaves slowly, keeping the door open. I poke my head out after a couple minutes pass before heading out myself. I think I'm ready to go back to my room, no more interaction needed. I'm adequately exhausted.

My lights are off for some reason, even though I don't remember turning them off. I wasn't planning on being out of my room for long. I flick them back on quickly.

"Back so soon?" I yelp and barely refrain from throwing a punch or kick. Monokuma blinks up at me from his reclined position on my bed. I'm going to need to change those sheets.

"What are you doing?" I ask, my teeth gritted. "Listen, I'm-"

"-a buzzkill? You're absolutely right. Glad you agree." He hops up, now bouncing on the mattress. "Can't imagine being such a party pooper that I'd want to be alone all day. Not that you all keep me much company to begin with!"

I rub my temples, trying to make my oncoming headache subside. "Unless you have a reason for being here, I suggest you get out."

His tone quickly turns mocking. "Unless _you_ have a death wish, I suggest you follow the rules."

I freeze, trying to figure out what I did wrong. Nothing comes to mind. "What rule did I break?"

"Like ya don't know! Area investigations are-"

"-not in the rules," I finish for him, crossing my arms. Wish I could punt him into his stupid camera. "Look for yourself."

He catches my e-Handbook when I toss it to him, clicking through the regulations before cursing under his breath. Wait, does he even breathe? "Well, it's a rule now, so don't even think of pulling this crap again." Not a moment wasted, he tosses my e-Handbook on my bed and hops down, waddling over to the door. He swings it open and gives me one last glare before slamming it shut behind him. A split second later, my e-Handbook chimes with the update.

Rule #10: All initial area investigations are mandatory.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to refrain from screaming in frustration. One day. That's all I'm asking to process my grief and other assorted feelings. Of course he can't even give me that. That's just too generous. But really? I'm almost too tired to be angry. This is what I get for staying up all night.

I sit dejectedly at the foot of my bed, staring at the clock as minutes upon minutes tick by until it's the same time- or around it- Miyuki was left to die. My chest squeezes, but there aren't any more tears to fall. I can't bring her back, no matter how much time I spend wishing I can. Exhaustion's already set in, and even though I know I'll be plagued with that same image of her, I need sleep.

But I don't sleep, not yet. I take the pad of paper and pencil that's buried beneath the books and write. I try to describe what I'm feeling, pulling from languages that don't have simple, direct translations. None of the words, strung together in clashing languages, encompass the massive weight settled in my stomach.

I shouldn't be this distraught. I barely knew her, really. By all accounts, we were strangers, acquaintances at best. I can't explain this away. I can't reason with myself. I just do. I just am. I'll have to live with knowing there was a lot left unsaid.

I don't know how long it takes, but eventually I slump backwards and sleep.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE X

"Why do emotions exist?"

"Chemical releases control our responses to everything."

"Anger, denial, arousal, all of it."

"But why?"

"Even after being happy, emotions dip into sadness for no reason."

"Why?"

**X-X-X**

It takes me a while to drag myself out of bed when the morning announcement plays. Once I'm up, though, it only takes me half as long to get dressed and look even halfway presentable. The bags under my eyes are unfortunately very noticeable even with my darker skin. That in and of itself says something.

I don't waste time making my bed or even straightening it like I usually do. The paper and pencil are half-shoved under my pillow. Graphite marks stain the palms of my hands. It takes half of my willpower to wash them off in the sink instead of wiping them on my skirt.

I wouldn't even be getting up if it weren't for the fact that I haven't eaten in a day and a half. My stomach is so empty, it probably shed a few grams off of my weight. I frown at myself in the mirror- minimal effort there- before facing the halls.

As far as I can tell, I'm one of the first in the dining hall. There's no food on the table yet like we've been doing the last couple of days. Abe and Saito are nowhere to be found. They're either not here or are getting everything ready in the kitchen. I wander in, hoping to just grab an orange and leave.

"-restocked," I catch Satio saying. She's almost completely hidden by the large doors of the refrigerator.

"Something's not right," Abe agrees, checking the pantry.

I look between them. They haven't noticed me yet. "What's not right?"

I'm not sure what surprises them more: the presence of someone, or that someone being me. Saito shuts the fridge a bit harder than she should've. "We think the next motive has already started."

Again I look at them both, the weight settling in my stomach making it drop. I'm almost afraid to ask, but… "What do you mean?"

Abe steps aside, allowing me to look inside the pantry. "All of the food is gone."

I wouldn't believe it if I weren't staring it in the face. "None in the fridge?" Saito shakes her head, tugging at the charm on her necklace. "What about the storeroom?"

"We sent Sasaki and Ikeda to check. We would've waited for a third person- you, I guess- but this is too important." Abe sighs, looking equal parts angry and bitter. "If the kitchen is any indication, there won't be any."

This has to be some kind of crude joke. We didn't get a warning or anything from Monokuma. I wrap my arms around my midsection. I need to get a grip.

Footsteps approach the dining hall as we exit the kitchen. "There's nothing there," Ikeda says, his hands behind his head. He certainly looks the most calm out of all of us. It's as if he could be saying there's no books on a certain topic in the library. Ridiculous.

"We would've been back sooner, but we checked for multivitamins in the nurse's office. If there were any there before, they're gone now." Sasaki plays with the strap of her overall, twisting and untwisting it.

"You're an herbalist. Is there anything you can grow for food?" Abe asks. He's essentially asking for her help. This must be bad if he's asking for help.

She tilts her head in thought. "No. I only have succulents and basic medicines, nothing that could keep us going and nowhere near enough of it." She looks down, seemingly guilty about that, even though it's not her fault.

"So there's really nothing." Sasaki and Ikeda glance at me as if only now realizing I'm here. Maybe they didn't before. They probably didn't even expect that I'd come.

"Nothing what?" Hamasaki asks, wandering in. She catches on to our concern and becomes guarded herself almost instantly. "What's happening?"

Nobody wants to be the one to tell her. I can tell the silence is unnerving her even more. "Sit down," I tell her, trying my best to sound reassuring despite my hands shaking. Hopefully she doesn't see that. "We'll take care of this when everyone gets here."

She studies my face for a moment. My false confidence makes her take her seat with a nod. Everyone but Abe sits down with her. He keeps standing with me, even though I'm pacing in the corner, watching the door. "You know-"

"Not now." I can't deal with him yet. He shuts up, but I bite my nails and continue pacing. He doesn't try talking to me again, not until everyone's here and seated. He takes his seat as well.

"What's all the fuss about?" Oshiro whines, barely awake. "All the pacing and everything. It's making me dizzy."

I'm the only one still standing. I may as well say it. "According to Abe, Saito, Sasaki, and Ikeda, there's no food anywhere. Not in the kitchen, not in the storeroom."

The outrage is instant. I can't hear anyone over the masses. I shut my eyes for a while until I hear another voice over them all. "We have reason to believe it's another motive," Abe says authoritatively. "Starvation. There's no other explanation since there was food here last night."

"So soon? This doesn't-"

"Make sense?" Aoyama finishes Fujimoto's sentence for him. "It makes perfect sense. It's meant to make us act quickly, put pressure on us. Wouldn't you say this motive is more certain than the last two?"

I blink at him, not out of confusion; I know what he's getting at. "Because if nobody's killed, we'll all die of starvation." My palm hits the top of my chair. "That goddamn-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Yasu advises, pointing over at the monitor.

Monokuma's right there, as chipper as ever. I'm sure that as a mechanical bear, he doesn't need to eat. "Soooooo this motive has already been spelled out for ya, but how's about we rendezvous in the gym anyway? Shed some light on your asses. Be there or be punished!"

I can hardly contain my groan. This is not what I need. Everyone's eyes seem to follow me as I turn from the table. This..._temper_ is unusual for me. I don't know how permanent it is. "Good to see you taking charge, Ishikawa," Aoyama says loudly, pointedly. I flash back to days ago, when he said I would make a better leader than Miyuki. Was he waiting for something like this to happen? As much as I want to flip him off or throw a punch, I don't give him any sort of satisfaction from a reaction. I just keep walking until I find myself in the gym, staring at the podium and waiting for Monokuma to show his toy store reject face.

When everyone else files in, they don't speak to me. I don't give anyone a chance to speak to me. I'm apart from everyone else, positive I'm radiating pure anger. Monokuma pops up onstage, takes one look at me, and nearly flinches back. "What's got your panties in a bunch, Red? We have a wonderful new motive!" I don't answer him. After a beat passes, he keeps talking. "And what a truly wonderful motive it is! A one-hundred-percent success rate."

"Does it bother you how inhumane this all is?" Yasu protests, his voice hard. This is probably the most pissed I've heard him, even though he looks like he's about to burst into tears.

"Inhumane? Bears can't be inhumane. We're not even human!" Monokuma laughs sharply, clutching his stomach. "No, no, only humans can be inhumane. So this is not inhumane!"

A fraction of my rage dissipates, replaced with something akin to curiosity as I stare at him. Not at his words; those were just strange. This motive is just oddly timed. We've barely had a day to get over the last case, and he's already throwing another motive at us.

Actually, come to think of it, isn't this what happened with the last motive? I'm not sure what to make of it. I'll have to pick someone's brain later.

"You know what? No. Fuck you." Yoshida's anger could match my own, but the difference is that she acts on it. She storms the stage and grabs Monokuma with her good hand. "I'm done with you and your motives."

Monokuma's sick smile grows at her words. All of a sudden, a high-pitched beeping fills the air, growing faster and faster with each second. It's Abe's voice that rings out: "Throw him! Now!"

She does, obviously panicked. He goes flying through the air as the beeping picks up speed before he explodes, right before our eyes.

Gone.

There's not a single one of us who's not wide-eyed at this. "Is he...gone? Is that it?" Nakamura asks, breaking our momentary silence.

"That can't be it," Abe says bitterly, already scanning for something more to this. He was able to shake that off fast. Interesting.

"And Blue's on the board with yet another point!" Oshiro yelps as Monokuma appears on the stage again, good as new. "What, did you numskulls not think I have spares? How did you think I get around so fast?"

I guess that makes sense, but I don't dwell on that, my hands already balling into fists. "You nearly killed Yoshida!"

He doesn't bat an eye. "She violated the rules! No violence against the headmaster, remember? But I'm feeling kind today, so that will serve as everyone's one and only reminder. Just so you know what you're dealing with."

As if we didn't before. We've seen what he could do to people, even without including the executions. Just the motives themselves _drive people to murder_. And here is our most high-stakes one. We need to at least try to approach this differently than the two before. Our lives are literally on the line.

"Why this motive?" Nakamura asks, worry laced in his tone. Usually he's so reassuring, but he looks like he needs to be reassured.

"A good question! Unfortunately for you, you don't need to know that." Of course. I didn't expect him to say anything. "Just know that there's no food for anyone until the next death." He puts an emphasis on _anyone_ as though that's the most important part. "Good luck!" He disappears into the wings before any of us can fully process this new detail.

I take a moment to think, and come to the conclusion that I would much rather starve to death than kill anyone. The fact that I have to make that decision further solidifies in my mind how messed up this all is. And now that I've truly felt the hurt it's caused, I've abandoned all hope that this is a dream. I've nearly abandoned all hope of surviving. I'm not physically strong, and I'm one of the people who figures things out in trials. I've already made myself a target just for that.

"Well, doesn't this make everything more shitty," Yoshida mutters, hugging her midsection. She looks pissed, but that's not really anything new.

She's not the only one who's pissed, though. More than half look it; the rest look more fearful, which is of course understandable. This room's nearly as emotionally charged as the trial room- where I'm sure we'll be visiting again in a matter of days.

Shit.

We try not to look at each other as we walk out of the gym. We don't return to the dining hall even though it's early in the morning; there's no reason to. It's not like we can finally eat breakfast. "Best case scenario," Saito figures on our way to the dorms, "is a maximum of three or four weeks if we conserve our energy. Worst case scenario, which I'm sure none of us want to think about, well. There's the morbid chance that some of us won't make it longer than a week."

This doesn't leave us with much to do at all other than sit and read or sit and talk if we want to last longer. Neither are wonderful options for me at the moment if I want to run on the food I ate a day and a half ago. I've got to pick my poison, so to speak.

I debate my options in my room for a little while, but eventually talking wins out. I go to Abe's door and ring the doorbell before I can think about it. He probably has less to do right now than I do, but I'm conflicted. This poison will likely kill upon consumption.

Unfortunately, he opens his door before I can make the decision to leave. His voice is tougher than it was when he tried talking to me this morning. "Ishikawa. Is there a reason you're here? Did you realize that I was-"

"Right. You were." There's no look of triumph at my hollow words as I suspected there would be.

His eyes seem to look right through me. "I see. But you don't fully believe that, do you? You wouldn't be you if you did." I don't know what I believe anymore. I don't respond, and he hesitates before continuing. "Look. Let me tell you a little about my sisters. They took care of me for a long time after my parents died. One is more optimistic, an idealist. The other is a realist like me. They're my grounding forces; the right blend of their thoughts is perfect. So-" here he hesitates again- "maybe by blending our thoughts, we'll be able to overcome any despair Monokuma throws at us. What do you say?"

What can I say to that? I hardly know what I'm doing with the motive or moving on. How can I work with him, especially after what he said before? "What do you think we should do?"

He seems almost surprised that he got this far. "Well, first, we need to start asking the right questions. Then we'll know what to do." I almost ask for more specifics when he discreetly glances at the cameras watching us. We need to be careful about this, of course. "Let's discuss this more later, say- two o'clock."

I nod slowly, still partially recovering from this conversation. Okay. We can do this. "I'll see you later, then." I can feel him watching me as I walk off, unsure of what to do next.

I find myself wandering upstairs to the library. I have all the books in the world in my room, but maybe it'd be cool to really look at the kinds of books in the library. I always have a different purpose for going in there, it seems.

Yasu emerges from the shelves with a couple books as I walk in. "Oh, hey, Ishikawa!"

"Hey, Yasu. What's the haul?" I ask, pointing at the small stack in his arms.

He shifts so I can see the titles. "Just some on traveling. Our conversations before got me thinking, and I wanted to jump right back in like I used to."

I nod; I know that feeling well. "Living vicariously through books is something I do well, but trust me, nothing beats the real thing."

He nods pensively. "Ishikawa, what's your favorite thing about traveling? The thing that you always fall in love with every time you go somewhere new."

"That's easy; the scenery and culture. It's so easy to find somewhere that looks nice around here, especially if you know where to look, but combining it with a new, interesting culture really seals the deal." I think automatically to all the times my friends brought me to celebrations or to parks, beautiful places with beautiful traditions. I always got so excited to see the sights.

"It sounds amazing." I know I'm not hearing things this time; there's definitely something more than just wistfulness in his voice, but I still can't tell what it is.

"Yasu, have you ever been out of the country?" I remember him saying that he didn't travel much, but I didn't think he meant at all. He shakes his head. "That's why you want to?"

He gives me a little shrug. "Partly. Sometimes it's wanting to see everything, sometimes it's wanting to experience everything, sometimes it's wanting to get away from everything else. Does that make sense?"

I can't say I've ever felt that way, but in an odd way, it _does_ make sense. "That definitely seals it, then. When we get out of here, I'm definitely taking you out of the country to see the world. It's so beautiful out there, I'm sure you would love it."

"I'm sure, too." A small smile graces his lips for a second. "For now, though, I'm fine with reading about the world. I think I'm going to go start, if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine, I didn't want to hold you up." He gives me as much of a wave as he can manage with the books in his arms before leaving. I stay back, obviously; I still want to look at the books.

I peek at the books with interesting titles, adding a couple to a small stack in my arms. Some are more oriented towards history and other academic interests than anything, but compared to the tales in my room, that'll bring a good balance.

I leave with those few, turning out of the library to find Hamasaki sitting cross-legged in the hall a ways down by the classroom at the end of the hall. Curiosity takes over me once more, and I find myself walking towards her.

"Everything alright?" I ask her before noticing that she has her guitar with her. It's a smooth wood, very well-kept and apparently in tune.

"Fine! Just practicing a little. I had to get out of my room." She motions for me to sit down next to her, and I do, setting my books to the side. "You never really value being able to go anywhere until there are limited places you can go."

"That's really wise." I listen as she fiddles with the strings of her guitar, playing seemingly random chords. "If you don't mind my asking, what got you into music?"

She strums another chord before shrugging. "I'm just wired that way. Perfect pitch and synesthesia will do that."

I think through that before realizing I really don't know what she's talking about. "What?"

"Synesthesia? Basically I can see colors and shapes when I hear certain notes or sounds- that kind is called chromesthesia. I also associate letters and words with colors- that's grapheme-color synesthesia."

She plays a few more chords- perfectly, I now note, as I likely should've before. "Okay, that sounds like it's really cool." I can't imagine being able to do that.

Her voice sounds a little far-off, like she's concentrating more on her guitar than our conversation. "It is a lot of the time, but it's so overwhelming sometimes. Like when there's a lot of clashing noise- think that awful excuse for music on our first day. I could barely see anything through the shapes and colors. It felt awful." She considers herself for a second. "Though I will say, when something is played right, it's really amazing."

"Sounds it." I sit with her for a while longer before my gaze lands back on my books. I realize with a start that I don't know what time it is, and I need to get these back to my room before I have to go meet Abe. "I have to go, but I'll see you later!"

I can't tell if she says anything in return; I'm already halfway down the hall. I nearly break down my own door trying to jam the key into the lock. The clock tells me I still have time, time I use to sort these books into their own little piles.

Two o'clock comes quickly. I'm probably a little later than Abe expected me to be, but I slip into the bathhouse quietly, making sure nobody followed. He didn't exactly add that part earlier, but I figured it only made sense if he was being so secretive about the meeting.

As I expect, he's the only one in here, peering into one of the lockers. "What are you looking for?" I ask, trying to look over his shoulder. I don't think we checked all of the lockers individually, did we?

"Nothing." He shuts it and puts the wooden key back in its place. There really must be nothing in there, otherwise he would've taken the key for himself. He shoves his hands into his pants pockets, looking at the wall before talking again. "Tell me what you remember."

"What?" I backpedal a step out of surprise, almost walking into the wall. "What I remember? About what?"

He sits on one of the benches and gestures for me to do the same. Somewhat reluctantly, I do. "The outside world." He keeps his voice low, probably in case there are audio receptors in here. Knowing Monokuma, there probably are. "What do you remember about it?"

"I- well, nothing out of the ordinary." I rack my brain. "My parents and I had just gotten back from Sweden so I could come to Hope's Peak. It was a nice day, so I felt pretty good. Then I came into the school, and woke up in one of the classrooms." I look at him quizzically. "Is that what you're trying to get at? Missing memories from when we came into the school?"

He studies my face before shaking his head. "That's not the right question to ask." I am so utterly confused by him. He looks like he's both calm and panicking at the same time, though I have no idea how or why.

"Abe, are you alright?" I reach out to touch his shoulder, but he jerks away from my hand, crossing his arms defensively. "Should I get Sasaki?"

"No," he answers almost too quickly. "This has to stay between the two of us. I know who I can trust, but you don't."

What?

He sighs, pressing the palms of his hands to his face. "Just- please- believe me on this. This has to stay between us, nobody else. I'm already a big target, but I don't want to push that onto you."

That's...sweet? I guess. "I promise, just us two." I even make the motion to cross my heart to show him I'm serious. He doesn't smile, not even when I offer my pinkie. "C'mon, you know it's legit if I pinkie swear."

He rolls his eyes a bit, stares at me, but eventually clasps my pinkie with his. It's done. I will not breathe a word of this to anyone. That's only the decent thing to do. "I'm sorry about this," he says, and for a moment I'm worried he's going to pull something, like try to make me a victim. But he wouldn't. "I'm sorry if I'm scaring you, I just- this is hard, and I needed to talk-" He shuts his mouth before he can say anything more, and it looks to me like it's out of habit. Now is nowhere near the perfect situation, but if he needs a shoulder to lean on, who would I be to not let him? Even though I'll need to lean on him as much.

"If that wasn't the right question," I say after a few beats of silence, "how about this: what can we do about this motive?"

"We have water still. That's good. We won't dehydrate in a matter of days." He looks to the floor, and I notice the bags beneath his eyes once more. I want to ask how much sleep he's been getting, but he keeps on. "I think our most at-risk are Yasu and Oshiro, as well as anyone who hasn't eaten much in the last day or two." He glances over at me. "When was the last time you ate?"

I pump a fist weakly in the air. "A day and a half ago."

"Okay. Adding you to that list. What we can do is conserve our energy, there's nothing exerting that needs to be done now, so anything optional should be skipped for the time being." He shakes his head. "New question: is Monokuma immoral enough to actually make us all starve to death?"

I sigh through my nose, thinking about it for a second. "We should err on the side of yes. It seems like exactly something he would do, right? And if the only way for us all to not starve is to murder, well, someone is probably going to take the chance of being found out."

"That's what I was afraid of." Though no actual fear registers in his voice or on his face. He's gone into an analytical mode. "Is it cruel to prolong the motive? It's detrimental to everybody's physical and mental health."

"There's nothing else we can do, though, not unless somebody kills someone else," I point out uneasily. I don't like this as much as he does.

Again he shakes his head. "Not an option. I promised."

"Option or not, I'd much rather starve than kill someone." And by the looks of it, that's what's going to happen. He's not really responsive, so I stand slowly, careful not to make myself lightheaded already. "I'm going to go back to my room for a while. Are you staying here?" He nods, leaning on his forearms, which are placed on his thighs. I linger in the doorway a moment before leaving, wondering what I just saw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so much in store for you guys from this point on, I'm honestly excited to keep the ball rolling!
> 
> The FTEs voted on for this chapter are Saito and Ikeda, both of which are going to be in the next chapter! The others here were chosen either by my mom (hi Mom, if you're reading this!) or at random by a group of friends!
> 
> Please don't hesitate to leave a comment! I thrive off of them :D


	12. Chapter 3 Part II

Dinner rolls around somewhat painlessly. I'm hungry, but not as much as I thought I'd be. If I think of other things, I don't notice it much. I can't say the same for everyone else, though. From what I've heard and seen in passing, nobody's taking this in stride.

I'm mostly just wandering around now. My room started to bore me, and I just needed to take a walk around. I'm rounding the corner by the dining hall when I freeze. I don't know if my ears are playing tricks on me, or if I'm actually hearing music.

I slow and poke my head inside. As I thought, Fujimoto and Hamasaki are in there sitting at a makeshift stage of sorts, though Hamasaki is the only one singing. I creep in slowly, taking a seat with Yasu and Ikeda. I don't think Hamasaki notices I'm here; she looks down between her guitar and what I assume to be a lyric sheet. Even with that, her execution is perfect. The song is in between solemn and uplifting. Really, the way to describe it would be tranquil. And though she's not the best singer, her voice is nice, smooth. I'm wrapped up in the song instantly, a million years away from where I was. The three of us- four, including Fujimoto- applaud wildly when the song finishes.

"That's amazing," Yasu says, breathless. I think this is the most genuine smile he's had all day. It's nice to see.

"Couldn't have done it without Kazu's amazing lyrics." She puts an arm around Fujimoto's shoulders; I don't miss his blush. Miyuki was right about them. "We were going to do this a couple days ago, but we decided to wait until now." Make sense, given...everything. "We'll be here until seven, to give everyone some hope."

I get comfortable in my seat. I'm not going to say no to a free show from them. Slowly, just about everyone else filters in; the applause grows with each song. By the time seven o'clock rolls around, we're on our feet cheering. Hamasaki and Fujimoto both take a bow with the biggest smiles. Hamasaki is definitely in her element here, and even Fujimoto seems to be enjoying himself. I think we all are. I'm glad we have this distraction, especially after the motive this morning. I don't think this will be happening again, though. We need to conserve whatever energy we have.

A couple of them stay in the dining hall to chat, but I go back to my room. I spend the rest of my night there, getting closer to sleep the closer to the nighttime announcement I get. The only thing stopping me is my stomach, protesting its emptiness. "Suck it up," I grumble into my pillow. It takes much more tossing and turning to fall asleep.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE XI

"People panic over the smallest of things!"

"And you can never tell 'em to take a chill pill."

"Do you see bears acting that way?"

"I don't think so!"

"Bears are as chill as they come."

****

**X-X-X**

There's really no need for it, but we still gather in the dining hall in the morning, if only out of habit. I don't like the empty space to my right. "We must figure out a way around this motive," Saito says, tapping her fingers on the table with each word. "We only have a handful of days at worst before we succumb to it."

This doesn't bode well at all. Oshiro and Yasu are already looking a bit woozy, and they've just gone a day without food. Oshiro still manages to brush and tie Yoshida's hair into pigtails for her. I do wonder about Yasu, though; he's not really small like Oshiro is. "We don't have any options," I sigh, thinking back to my conversation with Abe. "I mean, we could always look for a way out again, or-"

"-look for the mastermind." I turn to Abe in surprise, but he looks completely serious. Why didn't he bring this up with me yesterday? Why blindside me? "Think about it. If we find the mastermind, we can end the game before the motive can proceed. Don't you think that's what we need?"

What was it he said? We need to start asking the right questions. That felt like it was a right question. "I think you're right," I surprise myself by saying. "Guys, this is our chance to end it."

"What about what we said before? The targets on our backs?" Ikeda frowns. "How will that help if the mastermind could just kill all of us?"

I keep steamrolling forward, talking faster and faster. "It's either this or wait for one of us to die! Or even all of us! I know it's a huge risk, but if we could find something and catch the mastermind, we'll be able to leave and get help. Isn't that worth any potential risk?" My eyes flicker to Abe, who's looking at me in- is that approval? Whoa.

"It's more than just waiting around," Sasaki says, her chin resting on her fist. Her brows are knit together in uncertainty. She's probably split between what's good for us now and what's good for us in the long run.

"It's much more," Oshiro adds, surprisingly without a yawn. For once, likely thanks to the circumstances, she seems completely alert. "I'm in."

Yoshida is automatically with her. That makes four of us against the other eight. "I'm in, too," Nakamura says, his eyes hard set in determination. "We need to find the mastermind as soon as possible."

"If we need to, we need to." Yasu nods as well. That's six down, six to go.

"Look, we can even make a plan: go in groups of three to scour the different floors for anything suspicious, no matter how small." Of course, there's no guarantee we'll find anything, but there's no need to mention that. Everyone who's undecided shares a conversation over glances. I hope that's a good sign. A bit of a plan starts to take form in my mind. "We could even wait for tomorrow, so we have today to prepare."

Finally, Aoyama shrugs, easily the least bothered of us by this. "Nothing to lose."

It's not long before everyone else agrees, if a bit reluctantly. "Okay. How about we meet up around two in you-know-where so we can discuss this a bit more without getting you-know-who's attention?" It's a better plan than rushing into this. I get a few nods, some shrugs. I assume that everyone's in.

We break for now, most of us heading to our rooms in small groups. I walk alone, keeping an eye on all of the cameras I pass. I don't really have the proof to back it up, but I just know that those cameras are motion-sensing. It would make more sense than anything else in this school.

I'm one of the last to enter my dorm, watching everyone's backs. I need to protect everyone who's left. I don't know where the instinct came from, but I don't think I'll be able to stand losing someone else.

I step inside my room and lock the door behind me before clearing the desk next to my bed. The books get shoved into a pile on my bed- so much for my organization- so there's just me and the paper and pencil. I write in Arabic, titling my paper as "Ideas." Can't be too careful if Monokuma and the mastermind are watching.

The tip of the pencil makes tiny marks against the paper as I tap it, trying to think. How can we get out?

Break through the entrance. Crossed out, we don't have the manpower to do that. Not to mention those guns Yasu told us about…

The same crossed-out fate goes to loosening an iron plate. None of us have the technical knowledge to build something with the strength to do so.

I don't think we'll be able to get a transmission across anywhere, not when the computers in the media room don't work. None of us have the skill set, at least not that I know of.

Obviously nothing medical gets us out, if Yoshida's wrist is any indication. Monokuma wasn't any help on that front.

I stop writing, tapping the eraser to my lips. Think outside the box. How can we get out before the motive in a way that doesn't require technical skill or explosives?

A single word burns through my thoughts: murder. I'm almost certain at least one person thought about it, even if that person is the mastermind. Frustrated, I rip the paper off the pad and ball it up, tossing it into the trash. There was nothing helpful there anyway.

I steal a glance at the camera again. Abe was the one to introduce the notion of a mastermind, but I don't think there's any evidence to lend to that point. That's why we need this search; we don't know who we're up against, not really. Who even knows if Abe is right about this?

My heart skips a beat as I pick the pencil back up. In a mix of German and Greek lettering, my go-to code, I label the top of the page "Mastermind." I can rule out everyone who's already dead. There's no doubt they weren't the mastermind.

Aoyama

Yes: sketchy, argumentative, emphasis in game aspect

No: seemed genuinely panicked, predictable actions, doesn't seem fully antagonistic

Yasu

Yes: hiding something?

No: too nice to do anything

Oshiro

Yes: kinda scary, pointed out no cameras

No: too spacey to pull anything

Ikeda

Yes: too calm for this situation

No: reliable, honest

Yoshida

Yes: almost too argumentative, forceful

No: luck?

Nakamura

Yes: dabbled in a little of everything (if that means anything), literal charmer

No: sweet and helpful

Saito

Yes: very stoic, doesn't talk much unless to point things out, don't know where she's at

No: helpful

Fujimoto

Yes: is the niceness an act?

No: anxious

Hamasaki

Yes: the first to hear transmissions

No: too nice

Sasaki

Yes: knowledge of poisons

No: genuinely helpful

Abe

Yes: knowledge, introduced mastermind, goes back on values, honestly kind of sketchy, somehow knew we broke rule

No: introduced rules for our benefit

I look down and analyze what I wrote. Just as I feared, Abe comes off as the most suspicious of everyone. I guess he was right when he told me I don't know who to trust. With a huff, I lean back in the chair, careful that I don't slide off of it. What do I even do with this information, though? It's not like I can share it with anyone, nor would I want to. If it were more concrete, maybe, but this is all based on my observations.

The clock reads eleven forty-five when I check. It's way to early to go for our meeting, but I just want to get out of my room for a while. I leave my page where it is. Even if Monokuma came into my room again and found it, there's no way he would ever decipher my code. Picking up my key and my e-Handbook, I leave and lock my door.

Ikeda's exiting his room as well. I glance over at him before he sees me, still astounded that he looks the same calm as he did on our first day. "How are you staying so calm?" I ask him, getting his attention. "So much has happened, but you're still so much more calm than anyone else."

He turns to me and shrugs, still nonchalant. "It's how I was brought up. This way, I can control my reaction to uncontrollable situations."

"Did your parents teach you that?" Mine tried teaching me something like that, but it never really stuck. Go figure.

"My mom did. She taught me everything I know about my talent, actually. I shadowed her a lot as a kid." He sounds pensive on that last bit. He probably misses her.

"Are you looking forward to seeing her again once we get out of here?"

Something shifts in his demeanor, less calm and more...something. I'm not sure. "I am. She's the greatest person I know." He shakes his head after a second. "Sorry, I'd love to stay and chat more, but I actually wanted to check the storeroom again."

I step out of his way, not that I was in it to begin with. "By all means." I watch him leave, wondering how much peace a person can really have in this situation.

It's still very early- no more than five minutes could have passed- but I still head to the bath house. That's actually better; this way, we enter staggered and don't catch Monokuma's attention. I probably should've mentioned that before to solidify our plan.

Saito comes in ten or so minutes later, right as I'm wishing I brought a book to read while I waited for everyone. "Hello," she greets curtly. She takes a seat on one of the benches, not really near me, but not far, either.

There's silence for a while before I decide to try to make conversation with her. "So, is there anything you like to do other than archery?"

Her answer comes quickly and easily. "No."

I wait for her to elaborate. "So you're the kind to spend all of your time practicing your talent, then?"

"Yes. It was how I was raised. Practice schedules, chores, there wasn't much room for anything else apart from those. I prefer it that way."

"Wow, your parents sound strict." I can't imagine not having time to go see friends, let alone _liking_ it.

"My mom is strict, but she has good intentions. My dad…"

I blink at what appears to be a slip-up on her part. "Your dad?"

She says nothing, as if our conversation never happened at all. Okay. So much for that.

Everyone seems to get the message to come at different times without me telling them, coming in one by one. If anything else, we can say that we were arranging for a little party or something like that to keep our spirits up. Once everyone's here, I take charge, ignoring the small pains taking root in my stomach. "Alright. We're going to look for anything that's a clue to get us out of here, or a clue towards the identity of the mastermind. That's the basis of this. We'll meet tomorrow morning in front of the dining hall and spend however long we need searching. Any questions?"

Yasu nervously looks around and raises his hand. "What are we going to do if something happens between now and then?" He obviously seems ashamed that he's thought of this, but it's a valid question. We don't know if someone will take the motive, or…

"Then we deal with that if- _if,_ not _when_\- the situation arises." There's nothing more to be done about that, we have no way to prevent anything. Unless… "Actually, there's something we can do to prevent a possible murder, but I'm not sure who's going to be receptive to it."

Abe looks at me quizzically, but it's Saito who speaks up. "What do you have in mind?" As always, even through this motive, her neat bun is immaculate, her clothes without wrinkles. Good for her for staying on top of that. Maybe it's just nice to have control over something.

"There's the option of adhering more strictly to our rule of threes, including sleeping in groups of three." At everyone's surprised and skeptical looks, I add, "There's no rule against sleeping in someone else's room, as we know, and if we have three people sleeping in one room, then there's a lessened chance of death by, um, murder."

Ikeda shakes his head. "No way. There's no rule that someone can't kill two people, you know? So one of the people in the group can easily kill the other two. If they didn't mind being a prime suspect, that is."

I didn't even think of that. Nobody takes this very well; everyone's fidgeting and looking around at everyone else. The changing room suddenly seems much smaller than it is. "Alright. We don't have to do it, then." That seems to assuage some concern. Given that we don't exactly follow our rule of threes now, I wasn't very optimistic about that plan to begin with. It was worth a shot, though. "Is there anything else we need to address before breaking for the day?"

"I still don't get the point in this," Aoyama points out with an obviously fake yawn. "I mean, this is just using up our energy, right? What's the point in that if we're not going to be able to find anything?"

I pinch my lips together as I try to think of an adequate answer. I know he won't just go along with this like that, and I'm sure he's not the only one who thinks that way. "It's like we said earlier, if we can find anything, even the smallest detail, about the mastermind, we'll be able to get out of here without anyone dying. Even if it makes us targets for the mastermind, group safety is our priority."

Nobody else has anything to say, though the silence is permeated by multiple stomachs growling. That puts a damper on our already bleak conversation. "Maybe we should rest for the remainder of the day," Sasaki suggests with a frown. "If we're going to be using more energy tomorrow, it'll be smart to conserve what we have now."

"Right. In that case, let's go. There's nothing else we need to go over, we can do groups and all of that tomorrow." I'm actually pretty glad Sasaki suggested this; I'm starting to feel a little lightheaded. I'll hang around my room for the rest of the day. We stagger our exits; Abe hangs back for a minute, but I don't accompany him this time.

I move the books back off of my bed and onto my desk when I get back. I keep one out, a book of folk tales, to read. There's nothing else I can do for the rest of the day that conserves energy, and maybe if I get lost enough in the tales, I'll forget my own hunger.

How could I have been so stupid as to not eat anything when I had the chance? That may have been one of the worst decisions I've ever made, but I'm sure I can survive this. Even if it means I'm just laying around all day, I'm not going to give in to this. I can't.

I settle in bed with my book, frowning down at the cover before cracking it open and beginning to read. With each page, the words begin to blur, the meanings becoming nothing more that nonsense. I blink, trying to get ahold of them again, but nothing comes to me.

A flicker of movement catches my attention from my peripheral vision. "It's okay," Miyuki murmurs, sitting down on my bed next to me. My breath catches. "Read. I'll keep you safe."

This isn't real. I want it to be. It isn't.

I return to my book, the pages clear once more.

****

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE XII

"Have you ever thought you were a background character?"

"You should be your own protagonist, and yet…"

"You're never the center of your own story."

"I know how you feel."

"After all, I'm the star of this killing game!"

"And I barely get any screen time!"

****

**X-X-X**

The announcement wakes me up in the morning. It's a little odd, not being up even a minute before it. I get ready as fast as I can without exhausting myself; I need all the energy I can get. That results in only finger-combing my hair, but I literally could not care less.

As expected, Abe and Saito are already waiting for me outside the dining hall. Everyone else follows soon after, some more sluggish than others. Yasu and Oshiro look awful, like they've already lost most of their energy and luster. Definitely dexterity, too; Yoshida's pigtails are much more lopsided today. I'm more convinced now than ever that this needs to be done.

I address everyone once we're all here and attentive. "Let's go in groups of three, okay? We'll be able to cover more ground safely that way."

Immediately, said groups of three form and I'm left with Hamasaki and Fujimoto. I really haven't spent as much time with them as I thought I would, but they're both nice so I'm perfectly fine with this. "We'll take the third floor. Ikeda, Oshiro, Yoshida, you get the second. Aoyama, Saito, Abe, you get the classroom area on the first. Sasaki, Yasu, Nakamura, you're on the dorm area. It's already seven-thirty, so… Let's meet back here at ten. That should give us plenty of time to search thoroughly. Leave no stone unturned!"

"Yes, ma'am," Aoyama mutters sarcastically, as though he wasn't the one who wanted me to take up the role of leader. As though I'm being bossy when I'm the only one who's done much of anything. I choose to ignore him. From the back of the group, I see Miyuki give me an encouraging nod. At least she agrees with me.

Hamasaki, Fujimoto, and I dutifully trek up the stairs, ready to search. Our footsteps echo quietly up the stairwell along with their whispers. I don't mind not being included in their conversation; likely they're discussing one of their collabs. We linger near the stairs once we reach the third floor. "Okay. How do we feel about splitting up?" I ask, gauging their reactions. "Just to cover more ground. I trust that you two will do your best."

They glance at each other, almost having another conversation with their eyes, before Hamasaki nods. "I'll take the lab...thing. Whatever that room at the end of the hall is."

"I'll take the art room," Fujimoto offers quickly after. I pretend not to notice that he takes Hamasaki's hand and squeezes once.

"In that case, I've got the classrooms and rec room. Let's find each other if we need anything, alright?" I watch as they walk down the hall, eventually turning the corner. I'm not very familiar with this area yet and I'm not sure if they are, but I'm more used to hanging around classrooms than art rooms and that odd room.

I start with the rec room, picking through it carefully since I didn't actually do this before. Directly inside is a pool table and a couple of seats settled around a table for games. As far as I can tell, nothing is missing from the pool table setup; all of the balls and cues are there, set up like someone had abandoned a game. The game on the table is one I don't recognize, but all the pieces seem to be there and it seems innocent enough. For the sake of being thorough, I check the underside of the chair cushions for any clues. There's nothing.

At the back of the room is a rack of magazines, the latest of which is dated about a month ago. I flip through it; I never got into magazines much, but this simply shows some fashion and a couple of quizzes. Nothing really eye-catching, not to me at least. I look at the other magazines before doing a double-take. Even though some of these are recent, there's a fairly large gap between when the most recent ones and the older ones. It's at least a year for some of these, longer for others. Probably the subscriptions were messed with or something.

To the right, in the corner, is a locker. There's no lock on it, and I can't really see a reason for it other than storage. It opens easily, revealing stacks of board games inside, a little more dusty than I expect. I sneeze as I get a breathful of it. I haven't played a lot of these games in a long time, but I can't dwell on that now. I glance at the clock; if I want to get through everything, I can't exactly take each apart. I'll circle back here if I have the time.

There are a couple gambling-related games to the left in the room. I know next to nothing about those, but they seem to be in working order. It would probably be beneficial to try to see how they work when I have the time.

That's it for the rec room, so next are the classrooms. The moment I step out of the room, a wave of nausea comes over me, making me feel lightheaded. I knew I should've eaten something the other day. I brace myself against the wall for a second before continuing on, blinking black spots out of my vision.

I try to work through the classrooms as quickly as I can. I'm already feeling sluggish, so the time is going to go by faster than I'd like. As I noted before, each classroom is practically a carbon copy of the ones prior, save for the differences in the loud wallpaper. No sign of the blackboards being used, no papers on the desks. Nothing to write on or with. It's eerie in a way that reminds me why I don't like being in schools when they're empty.

I glance at the clock before switching to the second classroom, shutting the door behind me. We've only got about an hour until we meet up again; I've been pretty thorough. I think I hear footsteps behind me when I open the second classroom's door. I freeze in the doorframe, trying to crane my neck to see the stairs. "Hello?"

Nobody answers.

I must've imagined it.

Just as before, everything is the same in this classroom, this time even the wallpaper. That only seems to change by floor, just like the colorful lighting in the hallway. "It's weird that there's nothing in here," Miyuki says, leaning on a desk. "Shouldn't there be clues?"

"I don't know, maybe the mastermind really doesn't want us to know who they are." I check the teacher's desk, finding nothing in the drawers as usual. "Absence of clues means…"

"...They're neat. Or they're smart. Probably both." She pushes herself back up, coming to my side. "No secret compartments in the drawers?"

I hadn't even thought to look. I stick my hand in one of the larger drawers, feeling around for any give. "Nothing," I sigh, closing it once I'm done. "This is kind of hopeless, isn't it?"

Miyuki shrugs, adjusting her glasses so they don't fall off of her face. "Maybe not hopeless. You never know what you're going to find later."

"You're right. Of course." Spots dance into my vision again, and I brace myself against the wall before I can stagger to the ground. "Jeez. How am I supposed to help everyone if I can't even stay on my feet?"

"Hey, you're doing just fine, alright?" Miyuki smiles, and the spots begin to subside. "Finish working, I'll be right here, okay?"

I trust her. "Okay." I work a little faster this time, clearing the room now that I know what else I can look for. Still nothing. The door opens after a few minutes pass. "I thought you said you weren't going anywhere?"

Hamasaki looks at me with obvious concern in her eyes. "What are you talking about? I've been in the lab."

I look over to where Miyuki was standing just a minute ago; she's not there anymore. Right. She was never there. "Nevermind, did you find something?"

She nods, but the concern doesn't diminish. "I don't know if it's useful, but I think I figured out what the large thing in the lab is for." She leans on the doorframe across from me a little to steady herself. Her gaze bounces up and around, suddenly confused. "Wait, is Kazu not with you?"

I blink. "No. Wasn't he checking out the art room?"

She straightens quickly, tense. "That's what I thought, but he wasn't there when I poked my head in."

I'm about to panic when I remember the footsteps I heard. "Maybe he went to the second floor to use the bathroom, I don't think there are any on this floor. I can go check if you want."

"Please. I'll recheck the art room." She jogs back down the hall, her hair flying behind her.

There are bathrooms right below us, so I decide on my way down that I can either waste time looking for Ikeda or brave the boys' bathroom on my own. I glance around; it's not like there's anyone who's going to barge in, so I push it open and waltz right in. "Fujimoto? Are you in here?" No response. Trying not to appear creepy, I crouch down. There aren't any shoes under the stalls. Nobody's in here, but I check the supply closet for good measure. Naturally, there's nothing but cleaning supplies in there.

I'm more confused going out that coming in. He has to be here somewhere. "Ishikawa? What were you doing in there?" Yoshida asks, peering at me carefully as she walks down the hall from the library. Something odd is written on her face.

I blow my bangs out of my eyes. "Looking for Fujimoto. Thought he might've come down to use the bathroom. You haven't seen him, have you?"

"Not since we split up. I've mostly been in the library. Just had to take a break- looking at all those boring titles makes me hungry." I frown, mulling over those words. I'm pretty sure that's not how boredom works. "I could go ask Oshiro and Ikeda if they saw him."

I shift my weight a couple of times, trying to think fast. "Can I send you upstairs to search with Hamasaki instead? I feel bad leaving her alone up there."

Even though she seems apprehensive, she nods. I realize with a start that if there were some danger, she doesn't have a really good way to defend herself, not with only one arm. "He's gotta be around here somewhere," she mutters before turning away from me.

As she turns down the hall and heads upstairs, I look both ways down the hallway. I could either go down the way to the library and classrooms, or I could go to the locker rooms and skating rink. I don't want to have to step in there again if I don't have to, at least not yet. I pop my head into the first classroom, a short walk from the bathrooms. Strangely, I hear humming but see nobody. Am I being haunted? "Oshiro, is that you?"

She pops up from behind the teacher's desk, scaring me but also filling me with relief. No ghosts here. "Ishikawa! Wait, why are you here?"

"Long story. Can you-"

I want the scream that cuts me off to be coming from anywhere but upstairs. Like Yoshida, I'm not that lucky. "What was that?" Ikeda asks, already at the stairs by the time Oshiro and I get there.

"Don't know," I pant, half from running and half from fright. "Um. You check on the others downstairs. Oshiro and I will check this out." He nods and goes to the lower staircase as we take the upper one. "Please don't be murder please don't be murder please don't-"

I can't pinpoint where the scream came from, but I have a suspicion, given that there's still plenty of shouting from where I presume is the same location. "The art room," Oshiro says, confirming my notion. Her frizzy blue-dyed hair flies as we run.

The shouting dies the closer we get, revealing sobs underneath. Nobody is in the art room itself, but the storage room door is wide open. I curse under my breath. "No, not again-" Oshiro and I crowd in the doorway, seeing Yoshida's stare of anger and disbelief and Fujimoto's cries of dismay at Hamasaki's still body.

The bells sound. "A body has been discovered! Students, please make your way to the art storage room."

Realization hits me like a brick. "I shouldn't have left her on her own." This is exactly why we have the rules in place, rules that were sort of ambiguous about whether we were following them, but I still knowingly disregarded them! There's only a limited number of people who could've done this, though. And both of them are standing right in front of me.

"Answer my question," Yoshida says gravely, almost a growl. She's staring daggers at poor Fujimoto. "Where did you go?"

His answer comes between more sobs. "I went- to find- her. And- now-" He gulps down a breath. When he looks at us, his eyes are filled with tears and anxiety. "It wasn't me. It wasn't!"

Oshiro makes a doubtful noise, her eyebrows knit together. "It's kinda what it looks like."

Footsteps approach in a near stampede. "No. No!" he says, somehow pushing himself up and elbowing through them. Nobody thinks fast enough to grab him or at least go after him.

"Leave him be," Ikeda says after laying his eyes on Hamasaki. "He's grieving."

I know that feeling all too well. And, just as before, Monokuma shows up and ruins everything more than it already has been. "Aw, I was just starting to like her, too! Poor Juliet, torn apart from her Romeo." He lowers his head for approximately two seconds before popping right back up, seeming to look me right in the eye. "Well, love and loss do go hand in hand!" _Ouch._ "Anywho, here's your long-awaited Monokuma File! Oh, and I guess some sustenance." He tosses a bag of dinner rolls at our feet along with the files he brought before disappearing out the door and down the hall.

Calmly, Saito reaches for the bag, handing it first to Oshiro and Yasu before they pass it to me and then everyone else. It's not enough to fill my stomach, but it's enough to lessen the low buzzing in my ears.

"The victim is Hamasaki Utako, Super High-School Level Guitarist," Abe reads from his file, leaving the others on the floor. "The cause of death is strangulation…" He trails off, turning the file over. Mixed emotions dance in his eyes as they skip over the page.

I creep forward and touch Hamasaki's hand. This is recent; she's stiff, but not yet totally cold, not like-

I keep myself from jolting back at the memory that appears behind my eyes. I expect Abe to continue with more information from the file. He doesn't. "Is that all?" Nakamura wonders, his roll half-eaten in his hand. I already had mine, but my stomach still growls at the sight of it.

Abe closes the file and drops it back into the pile. "That's all." His hair is swept into his face, shading his eyes temporarily from my view. His movements say it all, though, even stiffer than usual. He's pissed. "Saito, help me guard the crime scene again. We need to get moving."

Not a question, but still she nods and hands the bag of rolls off to Sasaki before taking her place on the other side of Hamasaki's body. That's the signal for us to start investigating.

I'm still down by Hamasaki's body, so I start my search there. She still has her room key and eHandbook with her. Like I already noticed, she's a little cold, obviously her death was recent. I mean, I just saw her ten minutes ago. There aren't any bruises on her arms, no blood anywhere. The only thing on her I notice is an angry red mark on her neck. The reason for that is also obvious; her cause of death _is_ strangulation, after all. I can't tell what caused it, but I'm sure it would be able to lead us to the weapon.

There's one more thing I notice that's off about her body, but I'm not sure it's evidence. There's just a slightly strong smell about her. Not a bad one, either, just perfumy. I don't think I ever noticed it before, but it's only on her, so it can't be anything other than perfume.

I widen my search to around her body. Nothing seems to be upturned or broken. There aren't any scuffs on the floor like there were in the dining hall. It all seems like a normal storage room with the sink, wooden mallets, and other painting and sculpting supplies. "I don't think there's anything missing," Yasu says, opening a couple drawers in one of the storage systems to inspect all of the tools. "This is just like the storage in my old school's art room, but bigger."

I stand and wander over to him, looking over his shoulder. The paintbrushes are the only things I recognize. I never really had much time for art class- a by-product of loading up on language courses. "Is there anything that could've been used as the murder weapon?"

He scans the open drawer quickly. "Not that I've seen so far, no." His gaze moves sadly over to Hamasaki. "Why does this keep happening?"

I sigh and tuck my hair behind my ear. "I wish I had an answer." And, since I don't know if anyone's asked yet, "Did anything strange happen during your search?"

He shakes his head after a moment of thought. "But if you want alibis or something like that, Sasaki, Nakamura and I all stuck together the entire time. There wasn't much area for us to cover. Everything was perfectly normal until the body discovery announcement played. Then we booked it to the stairs and came here."

That makes sense for their group, plus it means that they have solid alibis. That narrows down my list of suspects from eleven to eight- seven if I don't include myself. "And I take it none of you found anything for the investigation?"

He shakes his head regretfully. "There wasn't anything we didn't see before."

I didn't think so. I'll have to recheck with Sasaki and Nakamura, though, just to be on the safe side. "Alright, thanks. Let me know if you find anything."

He hesitates for a second before I leave. "Ishikawa, I'm glad you're taking charge. I was so worried when Ueda died, but you're really stepping up. I feel a lot safer because of that."

I don't know how to answer that, so I force a tight smile and nod. I don't know how I'm possibly making people feel safer; I mean, another murder happened right under our noses.

Yoshida stands a little to the side of Yasu and the storage. Obviously she should be the next person I talk to, especially given what she saw. "Yoshida, can you tell me exactly what happened?" At least I manage to get her attention; she had been staring at the floor and muttering to herself crossly.

She nods, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Well, right when I came up here, I saw Fujimoto going in here. I tried to find Hamasaki first before following him, but then I heard him making a lot of noise. I screamed when I saw Hamasaki." She shakes her head, the pigtails Oshiro did for her this morning brushing against her shoulders. "There was nobody else on this floor. He had to have done it, I'm sure of it."

It's not like any of us can pass judgement on it quite yet, but I can't blame her for thinking that. "Was there anything suspicious when you were checking out the second floor?"

She looks me up and down. "Apart from you leaving the boys' bathroom? No. Nothing for the investigation, either." ...Yeah, that was pretty suspicious on my part. "But you saw it, right? Fujimoto and I were the only two on the floor, and I can't exactly strangle someone with one hand. Face it: Fujimoto killed Hamasaki. It's the only explanation."

She's right about a lot of that, but there has to be a different explanation. There just...has to be.

God, I'm so tired.

I turn away from Yoshida, thinking about what still needs to be done in our limited time. "Can a couple people go check on Fujimoto, make sure he's alright?" I ask the room. I notice that a couple people aren't in here. Where did they go? I shake my head once, retracting my earlier statement. "You know what, I'll go, I just need one person."

Ikeda lifts his hand briefly after a second passes. "I'll go with you."

Alright. I wait for him to catch up to me before we head out. We don't stop in the art room, even though I see a couple people searching. "I'm worried about him," I tell Ikeda as we start down the stairs to the second floor. "Running out so soon."

"Even though he's probably the one who killed her?" At my incredulous look, he continues, "You can't honestly tell me it didn't cross your mind. Why else would he run if not out of guilt?"

"Fear? Horror? That was my reaction at-" I swallow hard, finding myself unable to say her name. "-last time. Surely this is the same for him."

He doesn't look like he believes that. Spending the rest of the walk in silence, we arrive first at Fujimoto's room, since I'm not sure where else he would go. I knock lightly. "Fujimoto? Do you need us to get you anything?"

I figure that would be the better question to ask instead of asking how he was. I wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't answer at all. Instead, what we get is a small answer: "Water. Please."

Ikeda nods, signalling to me that he'll get it before jogging off towards the storage room, where the bottled water is. I turn back to the door. "Please, if you know anything, you have to tell me. We need to be able to solve this."

This time, he says nothing, only opens the door to receive the still-sealed water bottle Ikeda brings before locking himself in again. I didn't even get a look at his face. Ikeda stares at the door before looking over at me. "I assume he didn't tell you anything?"

I cross my arms and sigh quietly. "No. Let's go back up, we need to help with the investigation." I glance over at his pensive face as we near the stairs. "While I have you here, you were checking the rink, right? Did you happen to notice anything strange from there?"

"I was on my way to find Oshiro and Yoshida when I heard Yoshida scream, I had just gotten out of the locker room and passed the bathrooms." He regards me for a moment. "Imagine my surprise at finding you not where you said you would be."

"I get it, I messed up leaving Hamasaki alone! I don't need to hear it from everyone." Like it hadn't crossed my mind that I'm always one of the last to see the victims alive. I shudder, a chill running up my spine. "I'm just afraid we won't have evidence to catch the blackened."

"Well, at least alibis will differ more this time," he offers with a slight shrug.

Not really, not with how often everyone stuck together this time around. "I just need to check with Oshiro, Abe, Saito, and Aoyama." I frown at the latter, the first I see in the art room. "Speak of the devil."

Aoyama looks up from what he was checking and puts on a mock-flattered face. "Good to know you were talking about me. What can I do for you?"

I glance to my side for Ikeda's assistance, but he's already gone. Damn. "I need your alibi. Did you, Abe, and Saito split up in your search, or-"

"You really think two of the biggest skeptics would agree to splitting up for even a second? That's cute."

My cheeks puff out a bit at his insult. I hate that he feels the need to be difficult. "So the three of you have alibis, then?"

"That's correct. And there aren't any clues around here, I just checked."

Well, isn't he feeling helpful. I do wonder if I need to get Oshiro's alibi even though I saw her in the classroom when I went looking. I don't get a chance to decide, because the monitors flick on. I look at the newly-installed clock; it's barely been an hour. No way that's enough time. "Alright, kiddos, let's get moving! We gotta get this show on the road!"

"Do we even have enough?" Sasaki wonders aloud as we file out and down the stairs. "It feels like we found next to nothing."

She's right. We don't have nearly enough. "We'll have to make it enough," Nakamura says with a shake of his head. Nobody else says anything on the way to the elevator.

The door to it isn't open. Monokuma isn't in the waiting area yet, even though he called us. In fact, he doesn't show up for another couple of minutes, taking yet another head count. It's depressingly quick. He visibly recoils when he finds that Fujimoto isn't with us. "This won't do! Everyone needs to take part in the trial! Everyone!"

Oshiro shakes her head, playing with the sleeves of her jacket. "He's not gonna come, not when all the evidence works against him."

Monokuma blinks a couple of times before his anger starts to show. "Oh, like hell he's-" He storms out of the room, which looks funny on his stubby little legs. On an impulse, I follow. Maybe I can convince him not to harm Fujimoto.

He pounds on Fujimoto's door before extracting a key from somewhere- frankly, I don't want to know where- and shoving it into the lock. He flings open the door and goes in guns-a-blazing, coming out a couple of seconds later with Fujimoto in tow.

His eyes are still red from crying over Hamasaki. I feel completely awful for him, but this trial is something we all need to do. Without him, we may never find out who killed her. Monokuma marches him into the elevator waiting room, and I follow closely behind.

He takes another head count, possibly to make sure nobody ran off while he wasn't looking. "Alright. For real, this time, let's get this started. No more surprises."

We all glance at each other. No more surprises. Hopefully we can manage that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tricked ya, huh? Y'all probably thought Fujimoto was going to be victim #2, a la double murder. I tricked my mom with that, too :3
> 
> Please don't hesitate to leave a review! I thrive off of them.


	13. Chapter 3 Part III

The trial room looks more barren than ever. Fujimoto doesn't take a single glance at Hamasaki's portrait, making three in a row next to Abe. Just as we did for Matsumoto and Miyuki, we need to bring Hamasaki's killer to justice.

Once again, all of our lives hang in the balance.

Monokuma clears his throat once we're all in place. "Let's see… The rules! After a discussion of the evidence, y'all will vote on the identity of the blackened. If you vote correctly, only the blackened will be punished. If you don't, only the blackened will live. I think y'all've got that down, so go ahead and begin!"

I look around the podiums after he finishes with the rules. When did our numbers get so small? It feels like just yesterday all sixteen of us were alive and well… Now look at us. Only nine of us left. I can hardly believe it.

"There's not much to discuss this time," Oshiro states almost happily, her hands clasped behind her back. "I mean, it's obvious that Fujimoto killed Hamasaki and that's that. Open and shut!"

I sneak a look at Fujimoto. He doesn't say anything in his own defense. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's not paying attention, his eyes locked with Hamasaki's portrait now. Is that how I looked last time? "No, no matter how it looked, we can't assume that we know that." Abe crosses his arms, tighter than usual. "Speaking from experience, it's easy to be deceived if you're too willing to accept what you see."

My eyes jerk over towards him. When has he ever volunteered personal information like that? It puts me on edge, unsure of where we all stand with him. Yet again. It's like he changes his mind every other day.

"What sort of experience are you talking about?" Aoyama asks, looking as intrigued as I am, though I suppose it's in a different manner. I don't think Aoyama really cares so much as wants to know for future arguments. He would definitely pull out something like that to humiliate a person, I just know it.

"Not one I would like to talk about." Abe closes himself back up immediately, as I would expect. Obviously a few of us don't expect that.

Yoshida groans, her shoulders slumping a little. "Aw, c'mon, Abe! You can't just bring up something like that and expect people not to ask questions."

While she's right, I refrain from pointing out that the majority of us are already ready to move on with the trial. Even if most of them agree that Fujimoto killed Hamasaki.

Abe sighs, probably regretting ever bringing the topic up. "Can we please return to the trial? Otherwise we'll run out of time and we'll all die, and I highly doubt any of you want that."

"You're right," Sasaki says with a decisive nod. I'm sure Abe is glad that someone is taking this seriously. "We've barely even started discussing the evidence we found."

"There's no evidence that _doesn't_ point to Fujimoto," Oshiro presses with a slight scowl. At least her eyes haven't become stormy yet, I don't think any of us could handle that again. "What more evidence could you possibly want than what we already have?"

"Definitive, one-hundred-percent evidence. We need to analyze every part of this case." By the way his hands clutch the sleeves of his jacket, Abe must be stressed. He takes a breath. "Okay. Let's start with what we know: the cause of death."

Saito makes a small noise. "Strangulation. That much is obvious even without the Monokuma File."

Aoyama yawns loudly, making a big show of it. "Exactly, obvious. Just like the culprit of this case. We could easily start the voting now."

Abe's eyes widen in abject horror, glancing between Aoyama and Monokuma. "We'd all die if we did that!"

My eyes bounce back and forth between the two of them and Fujimoto. On the one hand, it's a fair guess that Fujimoto's the killer. On the other, he's practically shaking, his breathing is uneven and his hands are clutching desperately at his podium. This might be his reaction if he were to be the killer, but it actually looks more like an anxiety attack of some sort. Yasu leans over behind me, trying to get his attention.

"Voting now is not worth the risk," I say, breaking the charged silence. I make direct eye contact with Abe and Aoyama, making sure they know I'm addressing them both. "Let's treat this like the other trials, okay? Nothing is certain until we prove it."

Of all of the gazes that come my way, only one of them is thankful: Abe's. Unexpected, but welcomed. Fujimoto doesn't even look at me, and not even Yasu is fully on board when he straightens back in his podium. "Are you sure that's the right decision?"

"Absolutely. I trust Abe's judgement." Possibly the worst thing I could say to him, but for once he doesn't recoil at that one word. He's too busy staring down Aoyama. I nod to him. "Now, the point you were getting to."

He accepts my direction easily, breaking his eye contact with Aoyama. "Right. We found no murder weapon at the crime scene."

Ikeda interrupts this time, his ponytail partially sweeping over his shoulder as he leans on his podium. "It's probably in Fujimoto's room. That's why he hid in there after Hamasaki was discovered."

Abe's eyes cut over to him, sharp as knives, but tired. "We can't know that. None of us looked in his room, and I doubt you would take Fujimoto's word either way."

"I think we can assume-"

"It's too dangerous to assume anything, why don't any of you understand that?" I stare at him openly. I don't think he's shouted like that before. He's acting strange, but why? Why is this case in particular so important to him?

Sasaki takes the reins while Abe collects himself. "Maybe we should give this a shot. Let's assume that Fujimoto doesn't have the murder weapon." She pauses, giving Fujimoto a chance to say something. He's blinking rapidly, his eyes darting around to different spots on the floor. But he doesn't say anything. "There's a chance there was no weapon, right?"

"There would be," Nakamura reminds her, "except there would've been bruises around her neck in the shape of hands or fingers. That red mark was all that was there, and that seemed to be a continuous line."

"That's right," I say, recalling the red mark. I didn't exactly look all the way around- I hadn't wanted to move her body too much- but it definitely wasn't a handprint. "We probably would've been able to figure out who it was if there were handprints."

Oshiro looks at her hands. "I mean, yeah. Mine are super small, you would've been able to tell if it was me." She grins and points at Aoyama. "You, good sir, have large hands. I dabble in palm reading if you ever wanna know your fortune!" She adds a little wink at the end of her sentence.

"Please, if I ever wanted my fortune told, I would go to a professional," he sneers, turning away from her.

Her eyebrows shoot up. "Ex_cuse_ me? You want to say that again?" Even though they're across the room from each other, she looks like she's about to throttle him. Which wouldn't be exactly kind given the circumstances of the death we're supposed to be solving.

"We can discuss whether or not palm reading is a good idea later," Sasaki says, rubbing her temples. "We have to get back on topic. Was there anything in the art room or storage that could've been used as a murder weapon?"

Yasu shakes his head. "I looked all through the storage, there were a bunch of art tools, but nothing that could be used to strangle someone."

I remember him saying that before, too, while we were investigating. "Nothing like that in the art room itself, either," Aoyama adds, shifting his weight. I'm surprised he actually looked anywhere at all. "So the logical conclusion-"

"We can't pull together a conclusion on that." Once more, the words fly out of my mouth before I consciously decide to say them. "Just because there weren't clues at the scene doesn't mean the first person you want to accuse harbored the murder weapon in his room. That's an absurd conclusion to jump to."

There's silence as everyone thinks through my words. "I guess that makes sense," Yoshida concedes, looking down at her feet in shame. The others mumble their agreements in a more quiet concession. "But where do we go now? Is there any evidence we can use to figure this out?"

Oshiro waves a hand in the air like we're in actual school. "Even if we don't have a murder weapon, we can deduce who did it! Let's hear those alibis!"

Abe looks a little ticked that he's not directly in control of the situation anymore like he usually is, but having someone take control is better than nobody taking control. And Oshiro didn't exactly tell us who should say their alibis first, so we look around awkwardly at each other for a moment before anyone speaks up.

"Fine. Aoyama, Abe and I stayed together the entire time near the classrooms on the first floor," Saito supplies first. "We didn't split up once." Just as Aoyama told me, so that has to be correct. None of the three of them could've done this. "Additionally, we didn't find anything relating to the mastermind, nor did we hear or see anything suspicious."

"Sasaki, Nakamura and I stayed together since we didn't have much ground to cover. We didn't find anything about the mastermind or anything suspicious, either." The same alibi Yasu gave me before. Sasaki and Nakamura nod, corroborating their alibis. I don't know how any of those six could have gotten upstairs without my knowing, either, since I was right by the stairs just about the entire time. I would've noticed if anyone had come upstairs.

Ikeda rubs a hand on his neck, his calm breaking into sheepishness. "This is going to make us sound stupid, but Oshiro, Yoshida and I split up. I checked the boys' locker room and ice rink and was on my way to find them when I heard Yoshida scream from the third floor. I went right to the stairs."

Oshiro nods, her hair catching in the zipper of her jacket. "I was in the classrooms when Ishikawa came in, asking if I saw Fujimoto. Then Yoshida screamed, so we went running. She sent Ikeda down to the first floor to check on everyone else."

"I'd just finished searching the library when I saw Ishikawa come out of the boys' bathroom. She asked me to go up to the third floor to help Hamasaki look for Fujimoto. I found him in the art room with Hamasaki's body and screamed." Yoshida glares at Fujimoto, her eyebrows knit together. "And he still won't say where he went."

I get a plethora of strange looks from her testimony. I mean, I should've expected them, that was odd behavior on my part. "Okay, here's what happened. I promise context matters. Hamasaki, Fujimoto and I split up on the third floor. I took the rec room and classrooms, Hamasaki took the lab...thingy, and Fujimoto took the art room. I think we had a half hour or so to go in our investigation when Hamasaki came looking for Fujimoto. She said he wasn't in the art room when she checked, so I told her to check again while I went to see if he was in the boys' bathroom on the second floor."

"You couldn't have waited outside for him to come out?" Aoyama asks, barely hiding a snicker. I send him a withering glare.

"No, I couldn't, I was worried. Anyway, he wasn't in there, and when I was coming out, Yoshida saw me, so I sent her to look for Fujimoto on the third floor so Hamasaki wouldn't be alone up there. Then I went to find Oshiro and Ikeda to see if they saw him, we heard Yoshida scream, and Oshiro and I ran upstairs after I sent Ikeda downstairs. Yoshida and Fujimoto were the only two in the room with Hamasaki's body."

Sasaki frowns at me, her brow furrowed. "That was-"

"-stupid of me to leave Hamasaki virtually alone? Yeah. It was. But I can't change the past now." I grip the podium, my nails running across the grooves in the wood methodically as I'm reminded of that fact yet again.

She shakes her head after a second, her braid swinging. "I was going to say, this was something we probably should've established first- a timeline." Oh. "Now that we have the alibis, though, wouldn't you say the suspect list is narrowed?"

Ikeda counts them off on his fingers. "Me, Oshiro, Ishikawa, and Fujimoto; Yoshida couldn't possibly strangle someone with one hand, even if she used a tool. Of those, the only one on the third floor at the approximate time of death was Fujimoto."

"Plus, how else would someone know you three split up unless they were on the same floor?" Yoshida wonders, tapping her knuckles against her podium. "They couldn't have, y'know?"

She has a point. I don't think there's any way to argue that anyone other than Fujimoto killed her. He seems to be shaking harder next to me, like he's about to explode. Yasu is looking past me at him again, something odd written on his face, almost pensive. I shake that off after a second. "Let's finish discussing the evidence. What else was there at the scene? Anything anyone might've noticed?"

"Nothing that I could see on guard duty; no sign of a fight," Saito elaborates, "meaning she was likely attacked and killed by someone she considered a friend, someone she trusted."

No sign of a fight other than the marks the murder weapon left on her skin. No bruises anywhere else. "Is it possible she was attacked from behind?" Yasu asks after a moment, barely taking his eyes off of Fujimoto. "That would explain why there didn't appear to be a fight: she couldn't."

I hadn't considered that, but that doesn't make sense. "Her body was against the wall," Nakamura says in disbelief. "There's no space to get behind her, plus she's taller than most of us, so it would've been a bit difficult to move her to that position."

"It's still possible that she was put there after she was killed," Abe argues. He's just as tense as he was before. "She could've been killed in the same room she was found in, but her attacker came from behind and killed her before placing her against the wall to make us think she was attacked from the front. Even if she was taller, it wouldn't be too difficult to do, not like with Ueda."

"There's no way to know for sure," Aoyama counters as my heart skips a beat, earning yet another glare from Abe. I take a breath to steady my pulse. "We're talking in circles now that we've gone over all the evidence. If you want to prolong the inevitable, may as well go over every insignificant detail, huh?"

Abe's glare intensifies. I can see the tension in his jaw from across the room. I know he's being sarcastic, but I still jump in with an insignificant detail of my own. "Did anyone else notice Hamasaki's perfume?"

Aoyama looks at me as though I grew a second head. Good, I now apparently live to spite him. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I noticed," Saito says, ignoring Aoyama. "It was a bit strong for my liking. I believe it was lavender."

Yasu tears his eyes away from Fujimoto for a moment, looking at us in confusion. "Wait, perfume? She's never worn perfume before."

I blink at him. "Are you sure?"

He nods, still confused. "I'm sensitive to perfumes, I would've noticed before."

She's really never worn perfume? I shake my head. What am I thinking? "Fujimoto would know for sure." I turn to him, hoping to bring him out of his stupor somehow. "Fujimoto, do you-"

My eyes widen at him. It's- it's like he's gasping for air. His eyes are unfocused; this is beyond an anxiety attack for sure, but is this a panic attack? I can't tell. I don't think I've ever seen one happen. "Get him to sit down," Sasaki commands, already starting to leave her podium. Monokuma looks like he's going to stop her before looking over at Fujimoto himself. He shuts his fanged mouth.

I try to reach out to Fujimoto, steady him or something, but he starts to jerk a little before bending over his podium and vomiting. Hard. He starts coughing, still trying to gasp for breath. I quickly grab his arm, Oshiro trying to support his other side. He doesn't stop coughing and gasping for air, his eyes wide but still kind of unfocused.

Sasaki is at his side in an instant, only backing up a tiny bit when he doubles over in on himself and vomits again. I step back only two steps, in case I can help somehow. Until then, I'm too scared to do anything but watch, just like everyone else in the room, as he starts coughing more and more violently, starts gasping for air even more desperately like a fish out of water no matter what Sasaki tries having him do. I don't think she has training on what to do in this situation. What even is this situation?

He falls onto his back, choking and gasping and I can't bear to watch anymore but I can still hear it until it stops and Yasu is crying and Sasaki is trying to do CPR or something but-

"A body has been discovered!"

He's...gone?

"What...the _fuck_ just happened?" Yoshida asks shakily, not able to tear her eyes away from his now lifeless body.

"This...I can't believe this!" As pale as Yasu had looked before, he looks like a ghost now. A remark made in bad taste, but accurate. "What- how could this happen?"

How...there's only one reason in the forefront of my mind, one way for this to have happened with this sort of timing.

Oshiro only seems a bit deterred by this turn of events, her eyes slightly unfocused. "Hey, Monokuma, what happens if the blackened is already dead? Who do we vote for then?"

"We can't be sure of who the culprit was to begin with," Abe spits out crossly, more focused with Oshiro than Fujimoto. I have to admit, it's a fair question, but we have much bigger things to worry about right now.

Like Monokuma's vicious laughter. "Well, well! Why don't we table this argument for another Monokuma File?" He hops down from his judge's chair, somehow producing the files already. I take mine numbly, wondering how he could've already had it prepared. "Just like that, Romeo follows his love! Ooh, maybe Juliet is actually still alive! What a twist that would be."

Saito glances from the file in her hands to him. "I'm not sure I understand. Why should we take time away from the original case if the signs of this overwhelmingly point to suicide?"

Monokuma snickers behind his paws. "You never know what will help ya when! Now hop to it, you don't wanna waste precious investigation time!"

As if he weren't already cryptic enough about literally everything. Aoyama flips open his Monokuma File. "The victim is Fujimoto Hidekazu, Super High-School Level Songwriter," he reads in a monotone. "The body was found in the trial room. No shit. The cause of death is the ingestion of a lethal substance, leading to the victim choking. There are no external wounds." He flips the file shut after checking the back of the page. "That was all she wrote."

I sigh to myself, setting the file on my podium so it's out of the way. Looks like we're going to need to pay even more attention this time. Not that we shouldn't pay close attention anyway, but it's more important now that we have possibly two murders to solve. I still don't believe that Fujimoto killed Hamasaki, and now I need to prove that without any of his testimony.

It takes me a minute to collect myself enough to look at Fujimoto again. In the meantime, my attention turns to the pool of vomit at the base of his podium and in front of his body. As in, it smells. I plug my nose, willing myself to look just a little closer. Is that-

"Blood," Sasaki says, relatively unphased. She's still crouched down by Fujimoto's body, conducting an investigation of her own. "Definitely corroborates the file. I could name a few poisons that could've been used, but I don't think we have access to any of them, at least not in their natural forms."

She would know, I guess. "So it's safe to assume that whatever he ingested cause him to vomit blood?"

"I'd say so, yes."

Yasu, still at his podium, looks around me at the ground. "Actually, it could also be from vomiting itself, right? There's no guarantee that the poison did that."

Sasaki considers this and shrugs. "That could be the case, too. Either way, we need to figure out what he ingested." Her gaze sweeps the room quickly, looking at the stragglers still at their podiums. "Too bad we can't get a toxicology report."

I feel like one of those would take too long to produce, anyway. I step a little to Sasaki's side and kneel by Fujimoto's body. His eyes are still wide open, his clothes soiled. I wonder how long he suffered, if it was just what we saw or if it had started before we noticed.

Like the file said, there aren't any wounds on his body. We definitely would've noticed those before he died. From what I can tell, there's nothing amiss about him other than the traces of blood around his mouth and the vomit staining his clothes and shoes.

His notebook is half-under him, sticking out of his back pocket. Knowing how much he treasured it, I don't know if I should look at it, or even touch it. "What are you waiting for?" Aoyama says, watching me stare at it. "That could have evidence."

"Yeah, but-" He moves around me and takes it from Fujimoto's pocket, flipping to the last couple filled pages. He scans them quickly before tossing the journal to me and going back to the other side of the room, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Well...since he looked, I guess it shouldn't be much of a problem if I looked, too.

All of his entries, I note, are dated. The most recent one is from today, the handwriting more shaky than previous entries. Not to mention, there are random stains smudging some of the words. There are only a few phrases I can fully make out, but the message of them seems to continue from yesterday's entry: optimism. I'm not sure what to make of that yet. I place it on his podium, away from where it could get trampled or dropped in vomit. It could turn out to be something important later.

I'm really not sure what else there could possibly be for us to investigate in here. Like the rest of us, he didn't bring anything into the trial room other than his notebook, and there's nothing really amiss.

"Monokuma, do you really expect us to figure out who the culprit is without giving us full scope of areas to investigate?" Nakamura asks, still lingering by his podium and away from the smell. I can't say I blame him.

"I never said you couldn't investigate elsewhere, just that you had to be wise about your time!" Monokuma argues, a bit mad that he would even insinuate anything of the sort. "Feel free to check wherever, that's how to make this trial fair!"

Yeah, because this is somehow fair. It doesn't make any sense; would Fujimoto really kill himself?

"I'm going to stay here," Yasu decides, "just in case anyone else wants to."

As much as I want to, I can't. Ikeda, Yoshida, Oshiro, Nakamura and I pile into the elevator; Abe and Saito are still guarding the crime scene as long as there are other people down there. It's weird to have so few people in the elevator going up, especially since I know we'll just go back down in a matter of minutes.

"Where are we looking?" Ikeda asks as soon as the elevator arrives in the main building. "Should we recheck Hamasaki's crime scene?"

Yoshida shrugs. "I don't know if that's worth it, but we should probably check his room, you know? He did lock himself in there, if there are bound to be clues anywhere it would be there."

That makes the most sense, but I'm still on the fence about searching at all. We need the evidence, of course, but… I'm almost afraid of what we'll find.

Fujimoto's room is unlocked, likely just for this investigation. There's nothing amiss as soon as we walk in; it's neater than my room for sure, with some of those lyric paintings hanging on the walls. The entire atmosphere in here is calm, something I can't claim to be calming, at least not at the moment. Since there's only five of us, there isn't a problem of too little room like there would've if we all searched.

We start to split up- well, as much as we can in a room this small. I mostly wander, searching as much as I can everywhere. "Look here," Ikeda says from a corner of the room, picking up something long and thin from the floor. He shows it off to us. "Guitar string."

"That's not weird," Yoshida says with a shrug. "I mean, didn't they practice in one of their rooms a lot?"

He considers that for a second. "Sure, but this is about the same width as the mark on Hamasaki's neck, isn't it?"

I blink at it, remembering what Abe said before about the murder weapon. "About, I guess. But we can't conclusively prove that it's the murder weapon right here and now." There's nothing left on the string, no blood, that can tie it to the murder.

Oshiro hums nearby, checking around Fujimoto's bed. "You hafta wonder, if it is the murder weapon- why would he have it if he didn't kill her? He didn't take it from the crime scene."

Right, he couldn't have. Could he? "Save it for the trial," Nakamura suggests lightly. "Who knows how much time we're getting."

I nod to myself and move on. On the table in the center of the room is the water Ikeda had brought him earlier, almost completely finished. On a whim, I pick it up, watching the water tilt back and forth. When it tips upside-down, some of it runs onto my fingers. It must have a leak somewhere, or else the cap isn't on tight enough. I put the bottle back down and go to wipe the water off on my skirt before pausing. I bring my hand to my face, sniffing cautiously. It might be just me, but the water smells almost the same as Hamasaki's perfume. It could be possible that that's what was used to poison him.

"Is there any use in gathering alibis?" I ask the room, but specifically Nakamura, who's looking around at Fujimoto's desk. "Everyone was investigating the art room."

He thinks for a second, opening the desk drawer. "I think it's alright this once. Did he say much when you and Ikeda went to check on him?"

"No, he just asked for water. That's the one on the table. His door wasn't open for more than a handful of seconds." Barely enough time for either of us to get a good look at him. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "This really is starting to look self-inflicted."

"Mm." His tone sounds disbelieving, somehow, but if there was no opportunity, how could any of us kill him? I'm not sure which reality is worse. "So he wouldn't let anyone in at all?" I shake my head. He doesn't say anything, just goes back to looking. Guess he's done talking.

I step into the bathroom, looking around. Nothing is where it shouldn't be; there's absolutely nothing out of place. No bloody vomit, nothing. There's nothing in the trash, either, so he must've disposed of the container of perfume or whatever somewhere else. It also means he hadn't experienced any symptoms- at least, the most serious symptoms- of the poisoning until the trial was already happening. So whatever it was was not instant-death stuff. I wouldn't even begin to know where he could've gotten that.

I circle back to the trash can in his room. There's nothing in it except some papers with scrapped lyrics on them. I can tell they're scrapped because of all the lines through the paper, not to mention they're all crumpled into balls. Unlike his journal, these papers aren't dated, but they don't hold much significance. I can tell, however, that the handwriting perfectly matches that in his journal, so there was no chance of someone else forging his writing. That's, oddly enough, a comfort.

"Did anyone else find anything?" I ask after another minute. I really, really hope we've found something we can actually use.

But given the grave looks on everyone's faces, I'm going to assume we don't have anything like that.

"Is there anywhere else we could possibly look?" Yoshida asks, frustrated.

"Not this time," Ikeda sighs out, his voice just a touch tight. "All the evidence is either in here with us or in the trial room."

I frown and look at everyone in here. We have precious little to go off of, even less than we did for Hamasaki. Not that we've ever had an abundance of clues for a trial, but we always had something to point to the blackened. It's not even that we need evidence for Fujimoto's case- it's overwhelmingly obvious that this was a suicide- but with this in the forefront of our minds, I wonder if Hamasaki's evidence is going to be misremembered. Or if it will even matter in the long run. How do trials for two cases even work?

We turn our backs on his room, shutting the door soundly behind us. Almost immediately after we do, the same tone we heard less than an hour ago plays. We look to the nearest monitor in the hallway; Monokuma comes on with a drink in his hand. "I'm getting bored again, so let's start- for real this time."

I try studying everyone's faces as we approach the elevator. I don't know what everyone is thinking, whether they still think Fujimoto is guilty of Hamasaki's murder. This case definitely just became so much harder, and I can't stop wondering if we can solve both of them at the same time. Evidence could get lost in translation, so to speak; we could mix up, we could figure out one but not another-

I remind myself to breathe, just like Yasu or Sasaki or Miyuki would remind me were they here. Deep breaths as we wait for the elevator to arrive. Deep breaths as we ride it down. My nerves feel like they're on fire. There's really no other way to describe this feeling. The pure anxiety of this ride, what we're going to see again when we go back to the trial room, is nearly all-consuming.

Everyone is in their normal seats when we arrive back in the trial room. I step over towards Fujimoto's body, still there along with all the evidence he left behind. "I was gonna move him," Monokuma snickers, "but I have a policy of keeping crime scenes intact until the trials are over! Just in case someone wants to take a field trip, ya know? I did spray some stuff over there, just so you two-" he points to me and Oshiro- "don't pass out from the smell."

I take a sniff of the air. Just like he said, he must've used some fragrance. I thankfully cannot smell the vomit, though that doesn't stop me from seeing it.

"Anywhatsit, I do believe it's time for us to fi-na-lly begin trial three-point-five!" he declares, wicked smile in perfect place. I take yet another steadying breath and nod.

Whatever outcome these cases bring, we're going to end this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I tricked you again :3 the *real* poll is up now lol
> 
> Please don't be afraid to leave a review! They make my day :D


	14. Chapter 3 Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check this out, I made an angsty Chapter 2 animatic! https://mythgirlimagines.tumblr.com/post/628804124481290240/i-am-now-exhausted-emotionally-and-physically

Monokuma doesn't bother explaining the rules again; we just heard them. At least that shaves a little off the time we spend doing nothing. With two cases to solve, we need all the time we can get.

We jump right in, our faces serious. "We need to figure out the details of Hamasaki's murder before we move on to Fujimoto's," Abe starts to say before being cut off.

"Don't be ridiculous; that was already solved." Aoyama, once more, has that haughty air about him. "We know Fujimoto killed her, just as we know Fujimoto killed himself. There's no other way for the timing to be that specific."

He has a point about the timing; that's what I first thought. "But if you think about it, isn't the timing too perfect?" I ask, trying not to look over at Fujimoto. It feels odd to be arguing about this when he's on the ground right next to me. "I don't think there's much doubt that he killed himself, but the person you all thought killed Hamasaki just dropped dead and you still think there's nothing suspicious about that?"

Oshiro shakes her head. "Frankly, no. He probably felt guilty and knew he was gonna die anyway when we found him out, so he did Monokuma's job himself."

"_Which_, by the way, I don't take too kindly," Monokuma interjects, crossing his stubby little arms as best as he can. I would laugh if the room weren't so morose.

"Look, if you want a compromise, let's look at Fujimoto's death first. We'll prove the details of it and then move back to Hamasaki's, alright?" I offer after a moment passes. Surely this is the only way for us to go about this if we're warring at each other from all sides.

Ikeda shifts his weight from foot to foot. "Whatever you want." He puts his hands up in a nonthreatening gesture, but I can't help but spare him a little glare. I don't think he's taking this as seriously as he should. "So what do you suggest we look at first?

Abe takes a breath, still irritated that he's not in control. At least we're making more progress than we did before. "It's pointless to go over alibis for his time of death; we were all here. Even with our discussion about Hamasaki's death, we would've noticed if Fujimoto had eaten or drunk anything while in the trial room. Therefore, he must've done so before the trial started, while he was in his own room."

"The only people to see him before the trial were Ikeda and Ishikawa," Yoshida points out, though she's obviously only playing along. Her words lack conviction. "There might've been time for one of them to slip him something."

"No, that's wrong. The only time we saw Fujimoto is when Ikeda brought him a bottle of water; he took it and closed his door immediately. There wouldn't have been any time for one of us to poison him," I argue, knowing fully that whatever any of us say won't be enough to convince them that someone killed Fujimoto. "Nobody had the opportunity to kill him."

Abe points at me when I say that, looking at everyone else. "See? We've proven it. Can we go back to Hamasaki's case now?"

"Not yet," Yasu says almost reluctantly. He tries to avoid Abe's gaze despite him being directly across from her. "Or, not quite. You all went and saw his room, was there anything in there that could help either of the cases?"

Oshiro speaks up first. "It was pretty bare of clues, but Ikeda found the murder weapon!"

Great, we're jumping to that already. I have an uneasy feeling about this case, what we're going to need to find out. "Wait, that's part of Hamasaki's case, is there anything for Fujimoto's first?" Sasaki rushes to say. My shoulders, previously tight, loosen just a touch in relief.

"His notebook was here, but there was paper in the trash in his room that matched his handwriting, so anything found in his notebook was definitely written by him," I say. "I'm not sure how that can help, but at least we know nothing was fabricated."

Which, I think, is good. That means we won't have to worry about whose writing it is otherwise, especially since that's what we got wrong in Matsumoto's trial. But still, this conversation feels like it's going nowhere. "Abe, what exactly are you trying to have us find?" Nakamura asks with a sigh. "Evidence that he was killed rather than committed suicide?"

"What I'm trying to have you find is evidence that he didn't kill Hamasaki, but at this point, anything works." He rubs at his temples, his elbows resting on his podium. "But if you think one of those equates to the other, then be my guest. I can't stop you from wasting time."

"I just don't know what to say on that." Ikeda shrugs. "Everything with Fujimoto points to suicide. It would almost be easier to do what you want and look for other evidence, not that you'll find it."

Which makes Abe's scowl deepen. "Leave no stone unturned. Everything we saw at the crime scenes could be evidence, and you know that. There was nothing at Hamasaki's crime scene to tie Fujimoto to it."

"No, but the murder weapon was in Fujimoto's room," Ikeda argues. "A guitar string. It fits the width of the mark on Hamasaki's neck and everything."

"There's no real way to tell for sure, though," Oshiro backtracks, twirling some of her hair between her fingers. "Though it seemed like it was the right size to me."

I watch as Abe and the others consider this. "That's circumstantial evidence, though," Sasaki admits. "You know, someone could've planted that, and it might not be the murder weapon at all. Though I guess it's better than nothing."

Beside me, Yasu makes a small noise. "So there's really nothing other than his alibi tying the two crime scenes together."

Tying them together… "It might not have much to do with anything, but there was one thing I noticed in common about the crime scenes," I say, the point in the forefront of my mind. "You remember how I brought up Hamasaki's perfume earlier?"

"You mean the insignificant detail? Yes," Aoyama says, idly playing with the buttons on his jacket. He doesn't seem very interested in what I have to say.

"I smelled her perfume in Fujimoto's room when we were in there, in his water. I assumed that was what he ingested that killed him." Though now that I've said it out loud, I wonder if perfume is toxic enough to kill someone. "...But also Yasu said she never wore perfume before, so I don't know how much of a help that is."

"Well, you know what they say about assuming: it makes an ass out of you and me." Yoshida's eyes light up a bit at her own joke. "But yeah, what did he even use? We didn't find anything in his room."

"We don't have access to traditional poisons, so logically he could only have overdosed on the medicines in the nurse's office or ingested a substance like perfume that isn't meant to be consumed," Sasaki analyzes. "In the case of medication, you should've found the containers in his room, and in the case of perfume, there's the question of how he obtained it from Hamasaki's room."

Oshiro raps her knuckles on the top of her podium. "So, no way of knowing? Not like it really matters anyway."

"It could," Abe mutters. Either the majority of the others don't hear him or they ignore him. I'm not sure why it matters so much to him of all people. Louder, he says, "If it wasn't perfume, what was the smell? It was fairly strong in the art storage room."

I shrug. "Lotion? Some kind of candle wax?"

Yasu shakes his head. "No wax in the storage room, I checked. Couldn't have been that."

I bite the inside of my cheek. "So what does that leave us, if the scents came from the same place?"

"Why does it matter? Fujimoto killed himself after killing Hamasaki. The method in which he did so bears no weight to the case." Aoyama shakes his head as though I'm an idiot for suggesting otherwise.

Abe clears his throat. "If you're assuming Fujimoto killed her and himself, then whatever he used must've been easy for him to access, yes? Ishikawa, did Hamasaki have her room key on her at the scene of the crime?"

I think back to when I investigated. As I feared, it doesn't seem as clear in my mind as it should be. "Yeah, she did. She had her eHandbook, too."

"So Fujimoto couldn't have gotten into her room beforehand or after her death," he sums up. "Think about where this brings us."

"Nowhere?" Nakamura suggests, only slightly joking. "Whatever was used wasn't in his room, nor the art room or art storage. It's like it disappeared."

Something about that sticks in my mind, but I can't think of how I can use it quite yet. "Is there anything else we can go over for Fujimoto's case? Anything that could help?"

"Well, we all saw him in here," Oshiro says next. "The only thing he had with him was his notebook."

Yoshida nods, looking over to where I put it. "Did anyone check it? He might've written a suicide note in there."

Ikeda sighs again. "This isn't getting us much of anywhere, is it."

My eyes dart up and over. "No, that's wrong! Aoyama and I both looked at the most recent entries in his journal, and even though they were smudged, they were overall optimistic."

Yoshida's eyes widen a touch. I don't think she came that close to his body at all. "Wait, really?"

Aoyama lifts a shoulder. "I barely looked at them. The only thing that leapt out at me was the amount of tearstains on the page."

"Actually, that bothered me before," I confess, bringing a hand to my chin. "I can't believe he would want to kill himself after writing something so full of hope. Even what was in the trash in his room was the same."

I can tell that I at least have Nakamura and Sasaki rethinking this. "That does strike me as odd…" Nakamura trails off, looking at everyone.

"We can't go off of just that," Ikeda says after a second passes. "I've read that artists sometimes produce their most happy work when they're depressed and vice versa. Everything else points to him killing himself, and we're supposed to take the word of contextless lyrics?"

I hate to admit it, but he has a point. I've heard the same about artists and creators, at least some of them. It's impossible for us to tell now if the same applied to Fujimoto, because the only person close enough to him to tell was Hamasaki. That thought makes me regret not talking to them both more.

Saito pushes her shoulders back a touch. "It appears that we've exhausted evidence for Fujimoto's case. Suppose he was indeed murdered. Monokuma, how would we vote in the case of two blackeneds for two victims?"

Monokuma tilts his head in thought despite delivering a quick answer. "Only the first counts. In other words, the first person who killed would be the one to graduate, and the one you should vote for."

Only the first counts, so- "We've been wasting our time talking about Fujimoto," Abe says through gritted teeth. "Hamasaki was killed first, so we need to focus on solving her murder if we want to survive."

I...hadn't thought about that. It couldn't have been that long, though, right? We didn't waste that much time? "Couldn't we use this? Conclude somehow that there is only one blackened?" I ask tentatively. "I know it looks like Fujimoto killed himself, but-"

"One thing at a time," Oshiro says, the same spaced-out look in her eyes. Her tone is light and airy as ever. "Buuuuuuut the motive isn't really getting out and more about not starving. Without knowing that rule, it would be too much of a risk for a second person to murder right after someone else had. Right? It would've been sloppier and would leave behind crucial evidence, y'know?"

"...Yeah. The same person killed them: Fujimoto. I don't understand how any other conclusion can be drawn," Aoyama sighs out.

Abe levels his gaze with Aoyama's. "Call it a hunch, but I agree with Oshiro. But we need to focus on Hamasaki's case now. Let's discuss that. Just- humor me."

I'm afraid he's going to be written off, but Yasu nods; that'll at least get Sasaki, Yoshida, and Oshiro on board. His talent really pays off in these settings. "Let's look at the perceived murder weapon," Saito suggests. "The guitar string. You said that was found in Fujimoto's room? Did anyone see him take it from the crime scene?"

"I was the first one there," Yoshida says, "and I didn't see him take it. I was surprised that it wasn't still in the room after he left. But I definitely would've noticed if he stuffed it in his pocket or something. I think."

"Oshiro and I were there, too, he definitely didn't take anything," I supply. "Actually, come to think of it, the body discovery announcement played after we entered. So there were four of us there, that could tell us if Fujimoto really killed her, right?"

Abe shrugs. "Only if one of you entered before the other and that's when it played. Who got there first?"

"I did," Oshiro and I say at the same time. Which helps no one. We wedged into the doorway at the same time, so I guess there's no telling if we were the third and fourth people or the second and third.

"Whatever. Either way, that guitar string was the only thing found that could possibly be the murder weapon." Aoyama shrugs. "You can't deny that."

Yasu turns pensive again. "I don't know, there's something off about it, and I think I know what it is." Abe makes a motion for him to continue. "Well, the cause of death was strangling, right? The Monokuma File said that."

Yoshida blinks. "So? Didn't we go over that before?"

"So, the murder weapon couldn't have been a guitar string."

Aoyama laughs after a brief pause. "That's a ridiculous conclusion to draw."

"Just listen! Strangling is often done with rope-like objects, right? Using a thin wire like a guitar string would not have the same effect. It would cut into her neck, causing her to bleed out. The cause of death in that case would be called garroting." Yasu shifts so he's facing me. "Ishikawa, I told you before that there was nothing that could be the murder weapon in the storage. There was a wire tool that's used to cut clay in the storage drawer, but what I said was true: the cause of death would not be strangling like the file said if the wire tool was used."

Saito, at least, remains unimpressed as the rest of us think about what was said. "Is it possible that Monokuma got the cause of death wrong?"

"No chance!" Monokuma bursts out, definitely angered. "I never get information in the file wrong! If I don't know something, I simply don't include it! How would the trial be fair, otherwise?"

"So that means…" Ikeda prompts, unclear.

"Duh." The spaced-out look turns to the dark, trance-like look in Oshiro's eyes that she had during the first trial. "The guitar string was planted." She laughs, the sound eerie and reverberating through the room. "So we know who the killer isn't and who is! The culprit thinks he's soooo clever."

I blink. "Um. What?"

She turns to me, unnerving me with her vacant look. It's like she's possessed or something. "The supposed weapon was planted by the culprit. Ishikawa, surely you're smart enough to recognize that. Anyone who was in the room would be. Abe, surely you're smart enough to realize who the killer must be now."

I reel at the direct callout, but something must click for Abe immediately. I can see it in his posture. "You may be right," he says after a moment of thought. "And that person would be Ikeda."

Shock ripples through us. "Me? You're not serious." Ikeda's calm, though unbelieving. "Because of only that?"

Nakamura hums, his hands in his pockets. "You were the one to tell us about the string's existence, and you said it must be the murder weapon. You could've dropped it in his room during our investigation and pretended to find it."

Oshiro claps slowly. "Bin-go," she says, drawn out. God, her trances are creepy.

"That would mean I killed Hamasaki, but I never had the chance. Moreover, Fujimoto still killed himself. Nobody had the opportunity to murder him," he points out, still calm and collected. He always has been, throughout these last couple of weeks.

"All the alibis are solid except for five, four discounting Yoshida," Sasaki says with brief hesitation. "Wouldn't you say there's even a small possibility that any of those four could've killed Hamasaki?"

"Me, Fujimoto, Oshiro, and Ikeda. You're right; it's possible that one of us other than Fujimoto killed Hamasaki," I admit. I don't know how we can find out which one of us is that person.

Abe, on the other hand, must. "Go over the alibis again, when you saw everyone," he instructs. "Ishikawa, you first."

I blink. "Alright. I saw Yoshida first after exiting the boys' bathroom, then she went upstairs. I saw Oshiro immediately upon entering the classrooms, then Ikeda when we got to the stairs."

He nods, then looks to Oshiro next. "I was in the classrooms the whole time as discussed, I only saw Ishikawa when she came looking for me, then Ikeda at the stairs."

Ikeda goes next. "I was in the rink, then went to find Oshiro or Yoshida when Yoshida screamed, so I ran to the stairs."

Wait, that- hmm. "Oshiro," I say after a beat passes, "you were facing the door to the classroom. Did you see Ikeda pass?"

"No," she admits readily. "But would I? The classroom doesn't face the third-floor stairs."

"Let me rephrase that, then: did you hear him running to the stairs?"

This time, she stops and thinks. "No. And we both would've seen him in the hall first, because the rink was further than the classroom, so we should've gotten to the stairs first anyway. So it's possible that he wasn't where he said he was."

It's still not enough to convince some people. "But that means he'd be on the third floor," Yoshida says, "and I never saw him up there."

I nod slowly. "You said you didn't go into the art room right away, right? It's possible that he went back downstairs while you had your back turned."

Ikeda shakes his head, his arms folded. "Isn't that a flimsy argument? There's nothing more that ties me to the crime scene other than speculation and thin arguments."

"Let's suppose that Oshiro is correct in assuming that the same person killed both of them," Abe starts. "The only people who would've had opportunity to kill Fujimoto other than himself would be Ishikawa and Ikeda. Oshiro is out."

"Not much of an opportunity at all," I admit, "since Fujimoto only opened his door for a handful of seconds."

"And that was just for water, which was in a sealed bottle. Ishikawa can confirm that." Ikeda lifts his hands palms-up. "See? No real opportunity."

This manages to convince everyone except, naturally, Abe. "Ishikawa, you mentioned earlier that the water in Fujimoto's room smelled like whatever was at Hamasaki's crime scene. Can you elaborate on that?"

My brow scrunches. "I was just looking at the water bottle. I picked it up and moved it around a little. The cap must not have been on all the way, because some water leaked onto my hand. The smell of it was really strong, and it was definitely the same as the smell around Hamasaki."

"And did you handle the water at all?" I shake my head. Abe nods with the tiniest of smirks. "That narrows it down."

"How?" Ikeda practically bristles at this implication. "When- more importantly, _how_\- would I have done this?"

Saito tilts her head at him. "Theoretically, the 'when' is simple. The bottle was sealed, yes, but suppose the leak is from a hole in the plastic. Wouldn't it be possible to insert a lethal substance that way?"

"Probably," Yasu answers, "especially if they used a syringe from the nurse's office."

I train my gaze on Ikeda, trying to sort him out. "The water is near the front of the storeroom. The nurse's office isn't too close. I'm not sure he would've had the time to get what he needed."

"Thank you, Ishikawa," he says, sending me a relaxed smile. Something isn't sitting right with me about all of this. If Fujimoto didn't kill himself and I didn't kill him, Ikeda must have. Right?

"Someone poisoning Fujimoto would explain why the container wasn't found in his room." Sasaki brings her braid over her shoulder, playing with it almost nervously. "But again I wonder what the substance was, and how anyone could access it."

Yoshida, surprisingly, perks up after a minute of silence passes. "It could be easier than you think. You all said you have personal items in your rooms, right? Do any of you have essential oils, like for a diffuser?"

Ikeda looks taken aback as he raises his hand, even as Saito and Nakamura raise their hands as well. "On the nose," Aoyama sums up, regarding Yoshida with what I assume to be respect. "Lucky guess?"

"More like unlucky." Her expression darkens a bit. "I almost died from drinking those a few years ago. I think it was the same kind as Fujimoto- eucalyptus."

What is she doing? That wasn't what he had at all. I would've known; eucalyptus is one of the only essential oils I can't stand. Not that anyone else checked the water. "Ishikawa, didn't you say it was lavender?" Ikeda checks. "I don't have lavender oil in my room."

It clicks when Yoshida smirks at me, victory in her eyes. "I never said it was lavender," I tell him slowly. "Apart from eucalyptus, I don't think I could've placed the scent accurately."

"So I guess that means you just exposed yourself, Ikeda," Oshiro points out, bouncing lightly on her toes. "'Cause we can assume that the only reason you know that is because you're the one who used it."

Somehow, he stays eerily calm. He doesn't say anything either, though, not for or against what we've presented. "It's all circumstantial," Abe admits, "but it explains several things."

"You know, I'm kind of hurt." Ikeda sighs, his shoulders slumped a bit. "I'm hurt that you think I could ever kill one- let alone two- of our friends. Is this a matter of you all not trusting me because of something I did, because I would love to know what that something was."

"I do not think that's the case," Saito says, her eyebrows raised. "Even you must admit, you are the top candidate apart from Fujimoto himself."

"That, too, there isn't enough evidence to say that Fujimoto didn't kill Hamasaki." The calm is still in his voice, though it's more tense now. "You all know that."

Oshiro shifts a little to the side, away from him. "Buuuuut we know that they were killed by the same person, and that that oil has something to do with it. And you were the one who slipped up. A frogleg slip!"

Abe coughs. "Freudian slip."

"Are you so sure?" Ikeda's head is down for a moment before he looks back up with a fire in his eyes. It's drastically different than his tone. "Show me your definitive proof. I know you don't have any."

Everyone's eyes land on me, as though he were challenging me directly and not all of us. They really want me to do this again? My lips twist a little. "As we know-"

"You really don't know anything." Still calm. I wonder when that's going to change.

"-the guitar string can't be Hamasaki's murder weapon."

"Maybe you should go over the evidence again."

I don't even need to raise my voice yet. This feels strange, premature almost. "What should be the weapon-"

Now he starts to become a touch frantic. "Your evidence is wrong."

"-was never found, but you-"

"You're wrong, I'm warning you!"

"-had the chance to hide it, so-"

He presses his palms against his ears. "I won't listen to your false claims!"

This is it. "-the missing weapon is key!" He falls silent, slowly lowering his arms to his sides. His expression hasn't changed. "There was no way for Fujimoto to hide the weapon at all. You were at the bottom of the stairs before you realistically should've been, Oshiro and I didn't see or hear you once. That was because you were hiding the weapon somewhere we wouldn't think to look, right?"

He meets my eyes before nodding, somewhat reluctantly. A direct admission, though it's not voiced. Everyone stays quiet until he speaks. "Will you show them?" he asks, his voice tight. His calm demeanor hasn't shifted like it should, like it did for Maeda and Rikimaru. "You know how it happened now. Pull it together."

He- what? "Well, some of this is assumed, but I'll do my best.

"As you all know, we split into four different groups to look for clues about the mastermind. My group, with Hamasaki and Fujimoto, took the third floor. On the stairs, we discussed splitting up to cover more ground. The blackened, hearing this, decided they'd be able to strike to end the motive of starvation.

"They had some time to prepare, keeping up appearances with their own group. They passed through the ice rink quickly before sneaking upstairs. Likely they hid in the rec room, where I had already looked. It was pure coincidence that they overheard that Fujimoto was 'missing,' but it was the perfect opportunity when I went downstairs and Hamasaki went into the art room. They were virtually alone on the third floor. The blackened followed her into the art room and, using an unknown weapon, strangled her from behind. That was to ensure that she couldn't fight back.

"Once she'd died, the blackened set her up against the wall in the storage room. This was done to frame Fujimoto, someone she would've trusted to get close to her, as close as would've been needed to strangle her from the front. With that done, they left the scene of the crime. Unbeknownst to the blackened, they left something behind: a scent.

"They discarded the murder weapon somewhere we wouldn't think to look and snuck back down to the second floor. When Hamasaki's body was discovered and Yoshida screamed, they feigned like they had just arrived at the base of the stairs from their search area. They did not have the chance to return to the crime scene right away, since they were sent down to gather the people on the first floor. Nothing more happened until they volunteered to check on Fujimoto with me.

"They had perfect opportunity to lay the final stepping stone of their plan by giving Fujimoto a water they had put a lethal amount of essential oils in. From the time it took for the oil to run its course, it would appear like a suicide, sealing Fujimoto's apparent guilt in the case. All the blackened had to do was plant the fake murder weapon in Fujimoto's room and it was a done deal. Except we found the blackened of this case: Ikeda Kazuhiko, Super High-School Level Massage Therapist!"

The trial room is quiet except for Ikeda's somewhat heavier breathing. He's not broken down, not...not acting anything like the other blackeneds. "Is that it? Are we done?" Yasu asks, his voice somewhat strained. He's swaying a little on his feet. If I look hard, his skin looks a palish green.

"That's it." Abe, at least, is satisfied with this outcome. But is this better or worse than Fujimoto being the killer? In that case, we wouldn't have had to put anyone to death. "That's the truth of this case. Ishikawa proved it and Ikeda approved. There's nothing more to it."

Monokuma waves his paw, seemingly bored. "If you're sure you're sure, then it's voting time, I suppose." I frown at the darkened buttons that pop up on the panel. There are too many of them. There's about to be one more.

"I don't get it," Sasaki says after the guilty verdict is read. Naturally, we voted correctly. "Why would you kill them? Was it the motive? But why both?"

I expect him to nod, to agree that his actions were caused by the motive. Instead, he tilts a hand back and forth. "Almost. The motive, yeah, but...we've been here too long. I need to get out."

All said with a straight face. We've been here too long, I agree, but I'm worried about what this means: he didn't need the motive to kill. This life is what broke him. Unlike a motive, we have no way to prevent that.

He looks over at me without any prompting. "It was almost you."

...What?

"I almost killed you, but there was someone in the room with you."

"There wasn't-" I gasp. I was hallucinating Miyuki in there. So when Miyuki- the hallucination- said that she would stay there, she saved me. I talked to her and Ikeda thought I was talking to someone else, maybe Hamasaki or Fujimoto.

If I hadn't hallucinated, I would be dead now.

How am I supposed to take this?

"I almost killed you," Ikeda repeats, his face starting to crumble. "I killed them both…" I can't do anything but stare at him. My voice won't work. I can't believe I was almost the victim of his case. Would he have killed two people if he'd only killed me?

Monokuma chuckles at the sorry sight of us both. "Well, well, it was Red's lucky day then! And now, I do believe if we're done, it's PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!"

Ikeda doesn't move, not even as Monokuma hits the large red button to start his execution. None of us move to help him.

Execution of the Super High-School Level Massage Therapist!

~Pressure Points~

The same chain that took Rikimaru wraps around Ikeda's neck, dragging him to the execution chamber. The only thing in there is a cushioned table. Of course, the chain pins Ikeda down, wrapping around him and rendering him unable to move. Monokuma won't let him escape like Maeda tried to. In fact, he's looking over Ikeda with fistfuls- pawfuls?- of needles.

The first few needles he puts into Ikeda are only partway, in places I vaguely recognize as common in acupuncture. I guess that's fitting for his talent, though the two aren't quite related. Ikeda's face is fearful of his impending death.

The more needles Monokuma puts in, the further in they go. A few of them draw blood; Ikeda goes pale at the sight. Is he going to bleed out?

Suddenly, Monokuma stops putting in the needles and starts attaching wires to the ends of them. "Oh, no," Yasu breathes out, already turning away. Abe does the same, but like a car wreck, I can't make myself look away.

Monokuma finishes attaching the wires quickly and moves to a control panel on the wall that I didn't notice before. I know what's going to happen instinctively just as Monokuma's paw pulls a giant lever.

He pumps electricity through Ikeda. I don't know how much voltage it takes to kill a human, but I think Monokuma hit it and then some, for good measure. It's sickening to see, not to mention the smell that somehow makes it to the trial room. Yasu looks like he's trying hard not to vomit.

And that's it. The execution room goes dark again. One more of us isn't coming back.

"We need to put a stop to this." Oshiro, surprisingly, is the one who says this, not Abe. There's a haunted sort of look in her eyes. It's not like her trances, it's more..._je ne sais quoi_. But not in a good way. "We need to."

"I agree." It's hard not to, I mean, we're just kids. Kids shouldn't be exposed to this, have to see their friends dead. Something more needs to be done. There has to be something more to do than just wait.

My eyes dart over to Abe, whose face is turned upward. Oh, we still have the transmission to wait for. As if on cue, the PA sparks on. "It's- okay! Almost- hang- right!" The voice mutters, impossible to make out, then a different voice, another feminine one, takes over. "-hear us? -calm- get out-"

Then it stops. At least this time, we could hear more of what was said. But two people this time? Were there always two people? Monokuma becomes even more pissed at this development, though none of us recognize either of the voices or could even hear the entire message. He doesn't say anything, though, only growls and points us to the elevator.

My eyes wander through the bare space, eventually landing on Yasu. He's braced against the wall of the elevator again, his expression unreadable. We all have a lot to take in this time, especially if we want to move forward.

"We'll stop it," I hear Yoshida assure Oshiro softly. It's the quietest I've heard her. She has her arm around Oshiro's shoulders, comforting. "I promise, okay?"

Abe and Saito stare at each other, each silent. I can't tell what sort of conversation they're having over glances. Sasaki eyes Aoyama cautiously, playing with the strap of her overalls. Aoyama didn't have much to say this time around. Nakamura has his eyes closed, tapping his foot lightly in a sort of nervous tic. When the elevator jolts to a stop, we stay in for a moment before filing out.

"Should we bother trying to get food from the dining hall?" I wonder, my stomach growling. That one roll wasn't enough to cover the last couple of days, but even so, I don't have much of an appetite. At least this time around, the dining hall isn't close to closing. We're still several hours away from nighttime.

"Maybe we-" Oshiro cuts herself off as a thump and a warning cry from Sasaki grab our attention. I whip around only to find Yasu unconscious on the floor, Sasaki moving his head carefully to her lap. "What happened?"

"I don't know, he just passed out." Sasaki bites her lip, likely thinking fast. "Ishikawa, switch places with me. I need to get stuff from the nurse's office." I do as she says, the urgency in her voice not lost on me. For all we know, this could be more serious than we realize.

Aoyama stops her before she can leave, grabbing her wrist. "Shouldn't we just bring him there? That would be easier."

She glances around between all of us, something indescribable written on her face. "Just- let go of me, I'll be right back." She wrenches her arm out of his grip and goes sprinting down the hall.

Yasu feels almost feverish below me. I sweep his hair out of his eyes gently. With how panicked Sasaki was before leaving, I can't help but wonder if we're going to be losing another friend today.

SURVIVING STUDENTS: 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm not sorry.
> 
> Expect these updates to come more often...
> 
> Also, please let me know who you want to see Free Time with in Chapter 4!


	15. Chapter 4 Part I

Saito helps Sasaki bring Yasu to his room once he regains consciousness. Sasaki still checks him over quickly first and shoos the rest of us away to the dining hall. I rake my fingers through my hair repeatedly, catching a few loose stands and tossing them out. I don't like being kept in the dark like this. And once again I wish we had coffee, I need something like that to get me through this added layer of worry.

There's nothing for me to do here but wait. No books, nothing to make the time move faster. By the time the working clock reaches three-thirty- the trial took less time than I thought it did- Saito only came in once to get some food for her, Yasu, and Sasaki. She didn't say a thing and left us in our silence again soon after. I can't sit still. To be honest, I'm not sure why Saito would need to stay with them unless Sasaki needs more things from the nurse's office. Is that a bad thing?

Oshiro, Abe, and Nakamura busy themselves with getting some snacks on the table. I don't touch any of it despite my protesting stomach. Two days of no food causes the others to eat ravenously, but I can't. I knew something was wrong with Yasu, but I didn't push to find out what that was. It's probably hindsight bias; that's what Abe called it when Yoshida brought it up. I'm so afraid that this is something serious. There's no other reason they're taking this long.

My hands wring together, then through my hair again. I pace through the room, probably annoying the others with my constant movement, but they don't say anything if I am. That's nice of them.

Around four o'clock, Aoyama gives up being around us and goes to his room. At least, that's where I assume he's going; he doesn't say where. That leaves only five of us in the room when Saito comes in mere minutes later, lingering in the door before entering all the way and sitting down.

"Yasu is alright," she tells us before we can ask. Already my tense muscles relax and I can breathe. It feels as if I've been holding my breath this whole time. "Sasaki told me to inform you that she will be staying with Yasu until nighttime."

"What even happened?" Yoshida asks, pushing one of the plates of snacks towards Saito. We've condensed just this one time since there are so few of us here; she's in Ikeda's empty seat.

If I'm not mistaken, Saito hesitates before answering. "I am not at liberty to discuss."

"Wow, okay. Cryptic." Yoshida rests her chin on the palm of her hand. "Anything we can do?"

"If there were, Sasaki would've asked." To the point, as I've come to expect from her. She doesn't say anything as she eats, plunging us back into silence.

I sit down finally and rest my head in my hands. That only lasts for a second before I shift to get a look at Abe. He's been unfocused this entire time, a bit fidgety but not nearly as bad as I am and Miyuki was. My heart flutters and I suck in a long breath. I need a distraction, somehow, since there's still a few hours left in the day.

Oshiro sighs through her nose. "Maybe I should set something up for tomorrow, a girls and Yasu night, 'cause he needs some cheering up."

"That's only leaving out three people," Nakamura points out after a pause. "Why not make it an everyone night?"

She considers this, a finger to her lips. "Not this time. We desperately need a girls' night. I should've put together one before, I love having them with my friends."

Even though he's the Super High-School Level Charmer, I don't think he can charm his way into this one. Abe doesn't seem to be at all interested, so Nakamura gives in. "Fine. Girls and Yasu night it is."

Oshiro smiles secretively. "I know just what I'm gonna do." Nothing else comes to fruition about her plan, but it sounds like it'll be a good time. At the very least, a good distraction, which we all need.

The six of us stay in the dining hall for varying lengths of time. Abe leaves shortly after our conversation dies; Saito isn't far behind once she finishes eating. I leave the last three once I'm sure I won't be able to eat. I tried, I swear I did, but this is all too much.

I shower and change into my pajamas, curling up in my bed. I look right at the camera, having a staring contest. "If anyone's watching, send a sign." I wait. Nothing happens. "Well, it was worth a shot."

I shimmy around a bit, messing up my sheets in order to get comfortable. "So if there's nobody watching, I must be talking to myself. I must be going crazy." My still-wet hair sticks to my cheeks as I shake my head. I pull my knees closer to my chest, wrapping my arms tightly around them. A couple stray tears slip out of my eyes, not nearly as many as before. I'm not really crying, I'm just upset. I haven't felt much other than upset. I miss the other feelings.

I let myself get it out, then I stare at the camera some more. Monokuma is probably laughing on the other side. If I could take the camera down, I would. But that's probably against the rules; I wouldn't even risk touching the thing.

Once I feel the urge to yawn, which doesn't take long, I stretch out, laying flat on my back. I can hear Miyuki's light breathing beside me, comforting. It's not anywhere near nighttime and I'm not sure sleeping so much is good for me. But honestly, there's nothing keeping me awake.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE XIII

"Lots of things aren't as they seem."

"Take, for example, yours truly!"

"You'd think I'm only a stuffed bear."

"But really, I'm alive as can be!"

"And you know-"

"I'm smarter than the average bear!"

**X-X-X**

I start pulling out fruit and bread for toast before anyone else arrives in the dining hall. I'm early this morning; I had to wait for the doors to open again. But now that the clock reads seven-twenty, I would've thought that at least Saito would be here by now.

Technically, me getting some of the food alone is against our rule of threes, but I feel the need to do something other than sit and wait. I feel more paranoid than ever, and I'd bet everything it's because of what Ikeda said.

At the same time I can't believe I would be a target, it's not hard to believe. I'm smart. I've been a huge help during the trials. I'm not physically strong. I'm often alone. That's reason enough for anyone to target me, but- oh god, what if the mastermind targets me? It's not like I've been quiet about wanting to find and expose them.

"Ishikawa?"

I nearly crash into the table, the bowl of apples I'm holding spilling and sending apples all across the table. When I turn, it's only Abe. "Jeez, you scared me!"

"I shouldn't have. I called your name three times." He sits down calmly as if he didn't just give me a heart attack. He watches patiently as I gather the rogue apples back into the bowl and set it in the center. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Not sure why he cares. Not sure if I should tell him, either. "Just...worried. About Yasu." Hopefully he believes me as easily as Miyuki did, because I'm really not the best liar.

"Are you sure it's just that?" he says after a second passes. He sees right through me. I stiffen a little, taking my seat and reaching over for an orange. I start shredding its peel, getting orange under my nails again. At this point it'll never come out. I don't meet his eyes, but I nod. There's no way he actually believes it, though. "He'll be fine. He probably just passed out from hunger thanks to the motive."

Probably. But would Sasaki stay with him until nighttime if that were the case? "He'll be here for breakfast," I say, mainly for my own benefit. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Abe look at me with that scrutinizing neutral expression of his. I study my orange carefully.

Everyone files in quietly within another half hour, even Yoshida and Oshiro. Nobody talks as we eat, two normally filled seats noticeably empty. As a by-product of that, our silence is heavy. The only sound is of silverware in only a couple of cases. Vaguely, I wonder who's been doing the dishes this whole time. There are never any in the sink when I go into the kitchen.

"Sorry we're late!" My head turns in time to see Sasaki come in with a significantly less pale Yasu in tow. "Did we miss anything?"

"No," Yoshida says quickly, watching as they take their seats. "Yasu, you feeling better?"

"I am, thanks." He looks better to me for sure, but his voice is tight, guarded. "Just needed some food and sleep, that's all."

I pretend not to notice the quick, almost imperceptible glance Sasaki sends him. I probably just imagined it, and either way, I'll be nosy if I ask. There's no need to cause a scene like that.

For the most part, she and Yasu are left alone to finish eating, much later than the rest of us thanks to their delay. No sooner do they finish does Monokuma meander in, taking Hamasaki's old seat a couple away from me. "About time you all finished! Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting?" He huffs, crossing his arms, but none of us give him a reaction, at least not one he wants. "Well, the fourth floor has now been opened. Explore to your heart's content and whatnot."

He doesn't waste any more of our time before he leaves, almost depressed thanks to our lack of conversation. "That was weird, right?" Oshiro checks, watching him go. We all nod. "Okay. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't just me."

"No matter how odd Monokuma was acting, we shouldn't waste time." Abe stands and discards his empty plate. "We don't know how much we have to investigate, might as well get an early start."

We start getting up and quickly clean, gathering our trash and depositing our silverware in the kitchen sink. "Still can't believe Monokuma added this to the rules," I grumble, tossing out my orange peel scraps. "Just because I didn't go last time."

"He's that vindictive?" Nakamura asks as he exits the kitchen, his brows lifted. "I thought he just added that rule on a whim."

"No, that was me." I wait by the door for those who haven't finished cleaning to be ready. "You know, because none of us can have a day off to grieve. It's always one thing after another with that bear."

Sasaki hums in thought as she joins me by the door. "Is it odd that there's not much of a grace period? It's like he's trying to get rid of us before something can happen, but I don't know what that something could be."

I hadn't thought of that before, but I'm not sure if we can accurately assume anything about that. We don't know how this usually goes; I don't think anything like this killing game has ever happened. Not to mention, we don't know what's happening outside. I ponder that as we trudge up the seemingly endless stairs. Silence follows us everywhere, like a perpetual shadow.

Immediately to our left is a set of bathrooms, just like on the second floor. The majority of us wait outside as Nakamura and Saito go through them relatively quickly as a formality. As to be expected, there's nothing out of the ordinary; they're functioning and exactly like the bathrooms on the second floor.

"Are we going around the perimeter or just doing whatever?" Yoshida asks once we're ready to move on, glancing around. "Probably around the perimeter, right?"

"That makes the most sense." Saito pushes to the front of the group, veering to the left. The hallway leading to a room is short, at least shorter than most hallways we've been through. She pushes the doors to the room open and stalls for a moment before stepping inside. "A bit too late for this room, I'm afraid."

When I step in, I glance around quickly. Cruel irony for the music room to be open after the two people with music-related talents are no longer with us. Nevertheless, it's a gorgeous room, complete with concert seating, a stage, and a grand piano. I elect to check around the piano; there's nothing on or within the it, and even though I don't check it very thoroughly, all that appears to be in the bench seat is sheet music. Completely inconspicuous, though it would be worth it to check over once we have a little more time to do so.

I take a step back, wondering if it's possible for the piano to be moved so we can check for possible trap doors on the stage floor. Though, I highly doubt that's the case here; this is the fourth floor, after all, a trap door here would be very improbable. "Anyone find anything?"

"No," Aoyama sighs, annoyed from looking in the empty cabinets in the back of the room. "It's a music room. Not like there's anything important in here anyway."

"Pretty sure Hamasaki and Fujimoto would've disagreed." Oshiro sticks out her tongue in concentration, bending to look under another one of the seats. "I don't think there's anything in my section."

A couple of rows away, Saito kicks a chair halfheartedly. "Nothing here."

Similar responses come from everywhere else, as expected. I wouldn't think the mastermind would put anything too of use in a room that might've been used often. Which I'm sure not even the mastermind could predict; it's not like we're dying in a predetermined order. Everything is spur-of-the-moment. "Does anyone here even know how to play piano?" I wonder as we leave the room.

"I can play a bit." Abe surprises me with his answer, but I don't think I should be too surprised. "Consequence of my upbringing."

"Same here," Nakamura says with a bit of a smile. He goes in for a fist bump, but Abe just looks at him. After a moment, he lowers his hand. "Anyway."

Going out of the room, we turn left and then take another left down a hall, passing a second door in favor of the one at the end. The door to this room reminds me of the library door, large and a bit imposing. Sasaki tries the doorknob. "It's locked."

Well that's helpful. "The e-Handbook says it's the headmaster's office," Yasu says, showing us his screen. Sure enough, there's the pop-up label. I should probably take a closer look at the map later. "Maybe that's where Monokuma bases his operations?"

"It's possible. There's no use in trying to open it, I suppose. Not when breaking in would be against the rules." Saito shrugs, already turning towards the door we already passed. Without us, she walks to it and checks the doorknob. "This one is open."

I lag behind just a bit as we go to that room, if only to send another glance back at the headmaster's office. It feels a little off to me, but I can't put a finger on why. I can't dwell on that for long now, though.

Inside the unlocked room are desks with computers, all the monitors showing an error code. Every few monitors, a brightly colored potted flower is found. "What even is this place?" Yoshida breathes out, confused.

Sasaki fingers one of the tiny, bright yellow flowers. "They're real, and fresh," she assesses after a quick look. "Either Monokuma is secretly a botanist, or these were just put here."

I nod to myself, wandering away from the desks and over to the blackboard. Just like in the classrooms, there's no sign that it's ever been used, and there's no chalk nearby to use to write. One framed photo hangs near the useless clock above the blackboard. The man in it is very old, the photo in black and white. The name on the nameplate vaguely rings a bell. "Kamukura Izuru?" I read aloud. I feel my face scrunch a bit in confusion. I swear I know that name.

"The founder of Hope's Peak." Abe startles me, appearing at my side. That does make sense, I guess, but for some reason I don't think that's why I know the name. His neutral expression doesn't shift as he points up at the space beside it. "There was something there before."

It takes me too long to realize that he says that because of the slight discoloration of the spot on the wall and not because he's been in this room before. "Probably another portrait, right? Of who?"

He looks at me like _you really think I have an answer to that?_ "Nothing important over here," he reports to the others instead of entertaining my question.

I follow his gaze to everyone else. Oshiro is half hanging off of a file cabinet that Yoshida and Nakamura hold steady. "As far as we can tell, the folders only hold blank paper," Yoshida says as Oshiro digs in a little further. It looks like she could fall in if she's not careful.

"There are nine flower pots," Yasu says, hanging back by the computers. "It's not really helpful, but we have nine people left, which could mean something? Maybe?"

The number seems significant somehow; otherwise, why would there be a certain number instead of one per computer, or any at all? Still, I don't think that's why there are nine.

"Well, these aren't exactly flowers." Sasaki brushes her hands on the pants of her overalls, leaving small streaks of dirt. She points to one of the pots. "Common broom. Highly poisonous. Do not consume. Capiche?"

"Why would there be poisonous plants in a teachers' lounge?" Aoyama asks, disbelief painted across his face. "Are you sure-"

"Try it and find out." She picks up a pot and shoves it under his nose, startling him. This is probably the most bitter I've seen her. Not bad at all.

He pushes her away wordlessly, his expression soured. I didn't think he would want to risk being wrong. "There's nothing else around the room of note," Saito reports, looking to the door. "Shall we continue on?"

We probably should. We've already been at this for at least an hour, probably more. I glance at the picture of the founder once more before noting that I should bring functioning clocks to the rooms up here.

To the left once we're at the hallway intersection are the stairs leading to the fifth floor. With all luck, we won't be finding out what's there. We don't need any more space for only nine of us.

The next room we enter is labelled on the outside as the chemistry lab. It's about as spacious as the music room- that is to say, very. The most notable thing about it is the wall-to-wall cabinet, split into three sections. It's easy to tell what section C is thanks to the skull and crossbones on every bottle. "Monokuma's really pushing the envelope on this one," Nakamura says with a low whistle.

Yasu runs his fingers over the frames of the other two cabinets. "This first one is vitamins, protein powder, things like that. I think the second one is reagents? That's what this one is labelled."

"Quick analysis," Yoshida notes offhand, busying herself looking around.

"Protective mom," he explains just as quick. I glance down at the tiny cut on my palm, almost fully healed already. That's what he told me back then, too. Just how protective must she be if he could easily recognize all of those bottles?

"Most of these have labels with directions." Saito has one of the section C bottles in her hand, studying it curiously. "This one is empty. All of the others appear to be unused. Interesting."

Nakamura finishes his quick scan of the room. "Nothing else is in here other than basic lab equipment. Bunsen burners, things like that."

Oshiro bounces a little, seemingly bored. "Ya think if we set the school on fire, Monokuma would let us out?" Under our incredulous and frankly shocked looks, she wilts. "Yeah, probably not."

The last two rooms on this floor are two more classrooms. We split into two groups and clear them in probably ten minutes. They're still completely identical to the ones prior, even as I check for false bottoms in the drawers this time around.

"Let's go, there's obviously nothing of use here," Aoyama grumps, already halfway down the stairs before the rest of us catch up.

Abe pauses and turns to face the center of the hallway. "Everything okay?" I ask him, hanging back a step.

"I can't shake the feeling that something is supposed to be there." He shakes his head after a beat passes, turning back to the stairs. "Let's catch up with everyone."

I lag a little behind, checking my e-Handbook's map. There's no indication of there being anything in the way of my line of sight to the other stairs. I don't know what Abe thought, though the floor does look bare because of it.

"We still have time left in the day," Yasu says as we reach the first floor again. "Anyone want to do anything?"

Oshiro takes Yoshida's hand. "We're gonna start preparing for tonight. See you at eight o'clock sharp." She skips off with a grin, pulling Yoshida along towards the storeroom. I truly have no idea where she gets the energy.

"What's tonight?" Sasaki asks, glancing between those of us left.

"Oshiro decided that all of us sans Abe, Aoyama, and Nakamura should hang out tonight," Saito explains, a strangely intrigued look crossing her face. I know I've done sleepovers like that before, but maybe Saito hasn't. "From the sound of it, she has something specific in mind."

Yasu's eyes light up with excitement. "Sounds fun! I think I'll make some tea to pass time, so that's where I'll be until then." He turns down toward the dining hall, his gait not at all hindered by yesterday's events. I'm pretty sure that's a good sign. His departure leaves, arguably, the most serious of us.

"Okay, be real. What was yesterday really about?" Aoyama, surprisingly, asks Sasaki. His expression is almost perfectly neutral, his mouth set in a line. "If Yasu is hiding something, we have a right to know."

Sasaki's brow furrows as she scowls at him. "First of all, no you don't. I'm not a doctor, but I can still cite patient-doctor confidentiality. Second, it's his decision whether-" She cuts herself off with a muted sigh. "Third, who do you think you are, saying you have a right to know?"

"I agree. It's like- you wouldn't want someone asking about your medical history that way, would you?" Although I can't deny that I'm curious myself. I picked up on Sasaki's slip-up, but I'm not going to call her out on it, even if it implied that Yasu is hiding something. It's just as she started saying, though, it's his decision to tell us or not. Nothing for us to do except push it out of our minds, carry on.

Aoyama opens his mouth to argue more, however. "Drop it," Saito advises. I forgot that she'd spent so much time with Sasaki and Yasu last night; there's a chance that she knows. That much becomes more obvious when Sasaki shoots her a grateful look. "Go about your business and prepare yourself. We likely have only today before Monokuma decides to throw the next motive at us."

He leaves after another moment, obviously angry that he didn't get the information he was looking for. Sasaki leaves shortly after, muttering that she was going to join Yasu in the dining hall. Abe and Saito don't stick around long, either, so I go back to my room.

There's not much for me to do in here anymore. Everything on my desk and table is sorted, at least for the most part. My bathroom is clean still. I check through my closet; I have plenty of outfits left, but the pile of dirty laundry is slowly growing. I don't remember there being a laundry room anywhere in the school, but surely I won't be needing it. I mean, we won't be in here too much longer. I have a feeling we're so close to finding the mastermind and shutting down this game.

I'm about to turn away from it, but I pick up on one of the outfits buried in the pile. I should've thrown it out before. The shirt and skirt are stiff with dry blood. Before I can even touch them, I lurch towards the bathroom, grabbing onto the toilet and dry heaving. All of the images flash behind my eyes, but her first and foremost. That's her blood on those clothes.

I need to burn those clothes. I have memories that obviously still haunt me of her dead body. I should've burned the bloody clothes days ago, as easily as I washed her blood off of my skin after the trial. How have they slipped my mind for this long?

I ball the clothes in my hands and step out, knocking on Nakamura's door instead of using the doorbell. He opens it quickly, surprise laced in his expression. "Ishikawa, are you-"

"Are you still on trash duty?" He nods, likely surprised that I interrupted him. "Good. I need something burned."

To his credit, he doesn't ask questions, not after he sees the clothes in my hand. He follows me to the trash room and unlocks the gate blocking us from the inside. I push the clothes into the incinerator and step back. "Are you sure about this?" I nod.

He starts the incinerator. The flames lick the fabric, starting to fill the air with an acrid smell. I watch it, unblinking. It feels like my heart is being ripped out again, burning the last of her that I have. I'm not crying, but before I know it, I'm on my knees as it all burns away. Nakamura sits behind me, offering a hug. I accept, and we watch until the flames die, devoid of fuel.

I get up on my own once the smoke is cleared out, then thank him before going to the dining hall. I could use some tea.

**X-X-X**

With everyone flitting in and out of the dining hall, that's where I spend most of the rest of the day. It's convenient, a little hub for us. Plus, I physically cannot turn down a good conversation over tea. As I expected coming in, it puts me in a much better mood.

At one point, Oshiro dropped by to give us, conveniently all gathered in one place, more specific instructions about our night. We're to arrive at her room at eight on the dot in our pajamas with blankets and pillows. If I didn't know any better, I'd say we're having a sleepover in her room, but Oshiro adamantly denied that when I asked.

So around seven I return to my room, showering and gathering what I need. I can't remember the last time I went to a sleepover, but I've always had fun with them, even if I end up a little cranky the next day (at least, according to my parents) from a lack of sleep. I ring Oshiro's doorbell right on time, a blanket and my pillow balled together in my arms. Oshiro opens the door, grinning up at me. I can't deny that I'm glad that I'm still taller than someone here, even though it isn't by much. "Welcome to the fun!"

I take in her room as she steps aside to let me in. The lighting is set low somehow, and I have to sweep aside a curtain of multicolored lucky stars to fully enter. Pillows are strewn all over the floor; Yoshida and Yasu are already sitting on piles of blankets with a bowl of popcorn resting between them. "This looks fun," I remark, setting my pillow down and sitting on it.

"Just wait til you see what we have in store," Yoshida says proudly, offering me some popcorn. I take it, almost surprised at the white cheddar flavor. It must've come from the storeroom. I munch on it while we wait for Sasaki and Saito to arrive. "This is probably going to be the most fun thing I've done here."

The show really starts once they enter. Oshiro sits at the "head" of our small circle, her jacket still on even though she's in her pajamas like the rest of us. She really must like it. "Okay. I really only have one thing actually planned but I figured we needed the chance to kick back. And since we're in here, we won't be breaking the rules if we fall asleep, so don't be afraid to get comfortable!"

I take that advice, draping my blanket across my shoulders and hugging it close. I look around the circle; of all of us, Saito is the only one who doesn't look perfectly relaxed. She hasn't even let her hair out of its bun. Even Sasaki's let her hair down, her hair tumbling in waves from her braid, spilling over her shoulders. Saito's posture is still incredibly stiff as it always is, too, not the least bit relaxed. I suppose there's more time in the night, though.

"I'm gonna wait a while for the main event, until then does anyone want to play Truth or Dare?" Oshiro asks, a devilish smile creeping onto her face. I haven't played that in a long time. She barely waits for an answer. "Sasaki, truth or dare?"

Sasaki blinks, probably surprised that she was chosen first. "Um, truth."

"Who was your first crush?"

Wow, going there so soon. We don't know each other very well, so there isn't a good chance that we'll know who she's talking about. "This guy in middle school," she says after a second. "I made him chocolates that Valentine's Day. I may or may not have burned them." A fond look comes into her eyes. "Yoshida, truth or dare?"

"Dare, obviously." Her expression shows me that she's up for anything. I wouldn't expect anything less.

Sasaki thinks for a minute. "I don't know, try to lick your elbow or something."

"Aw, that's easy." And, to my surprise, she does it easily. I didn't think it was possible. According to the confused and somewhat horrified looks on everyone's faces, they didn't, either. "What? Not like it's hard."

To which the rest of us collectively proved that, yes, it's extremely hard. The game continues from there; I have to spill about my worst relationship, Yasu does a Mickey Mouse impression that sounds suspiciously like a Monokuma impression, Saito confesses that she's never pulled an all-nighter, things like that. The time seems to go by fast, but by the time our game is wrapping up, the nighttime announcement plays.

"Okay, everyone, lie down and I'll be right back," Oshiro instructs, getting up from her little pile of blankets. Following Yoshida's ready example, we do as she says, listening to her wrestle something out of her closet. "Etsuko found this in the storeroom a while ago, I just haven't gotten around to showing it to everyone yet."

Once she has whatever it is set up, she lays down in the spot between Yoshida and Sasaki, flicking something on with her foot and using a remote to shut off what I now realize are fairy lights. Immediately the ceiling and walls are filled with stars, likely why Oshiro was drawn to whatever this is. Some kind of machine? "Whoa," Yasu breaths out in awe. "I've never seen the stars like this."

"It's cool, right? See that one? That's the pisces constellation, one of my favorites." She points to it, then falls silent for a moment. "I'm sure one day I'll know all of them, and I want to understand all of them. Then my talent will be even stronger!"

We take in the stars, occasionally asking about one constellation or another. Oshiro answers happily until she falls asleep. Yoshida laughs softly as she's pulled into a sleep hug almost immediately. I guess Oshiro was right to host this in here, just in case. It's peaceful looking up at the stars until I fall asleep myself.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE XIV

"Isolation is a terrifying concept."

"Nobody wants to spend an eternity alone."

"It's hard to even imagine."

"Why is this relevant?"

"..."

"...Huh."

"I really don't know."

**X-X-X**

When I wake up, Saito is already gone. Oshiro barely stirs when the morning announcement plays, even as everyone else in the room starts sitting up, rubbing at their eyes. "C'mon, 'maya," Yoshida groans, trying to climb out of the smaller girl's tight embrace. "Time to get up."

I pick up what I can before going back to my room to change. That was probably the neatest sleepover I've ever been to; there was hardly any trash anywhere. I blink the remains of sleep out of my eyes as I get ready for the day. Saito, Abe, Aoyama, and Nakamura are already in the dining hall when I arrive, food already put out. That was nice of them. "Have a good night?" Nakamura asks, sipping some tea. He sounds lowkey jealous.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Everyone else should be getting here soon, Yoshida was just trying to wake Oshiro up so they could get ready." I take my orange from the fruit bowl, the peel coming off in three neat, satisfying pieces.

As I've come to expect, Oshiro is the last to arrive. Still, she's surprisingly awake, raving about the night as she eats her breakfast and ties Yoshida's hair back. All things considered, she's the most energetic of us. I would've thought that she would suffer the most from less sleep, but for all I know she usually stays up much later. That would explain why she's always the last one ready. She was definitely right about the night being relaxing, though; I feel great!

"Hey, students!" I sigh. "I bet you all know what's about to happen! Come on down to the gym so we can get started!"

Nevermind.

"I figured something was coming," Abe mutters, pushing himself up from the table. Unlike every other time, he waits for the rest of us. "It's his routine."

Like we discussed. He opens up new areas right after the trial, then the day after that, this is what happens. "This is the motive, then?" I check, just to make sure I'm thinking through this correctly.

"We'll have to see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna post this later this week but I got super impatient.
> 
> Don't forget to tell me who you want to see FTEs with next chapter!


	16. Chapter 4 Part II

I'm starting to hate the walk from the dining hall to the gym. If I could choose, I would never go there again. The memories of the other motives hit me immediately once we step inside. Each one just seems to get worse and worse.

For once, Monokuma is waiting for us instead of the other way around. Somehow, before he even starts talking, his toothy grin seems more evil than ever. "I don't know about y'all, but I'm excited for this one! It never fails to get me and the fans all riled up." He does a little dance, even though I have no idea what he's talking about.

"Can we get this over with?" Aoyama asks loudly, trying to drown out the noises that Monokuma's dance is making. Not that there are many; a plushie moving doesn't create more than a rustling noise.

"If you insist!" Monokuma reaches onto the podium on the center of the stage, taking nine unmarked envelopes. "I felt like putting a twist on an old favorite! And you're never gonna guess!" He cackles, waving them around. I'm surprised none of them fall out of his grip. "Here I have one of your most deep, dark, embarrassing secrets! Gotta say, though, some of ya are pretty vanilla. The rest of you, on the other hand…" He hops down from the stage, shoving envelopes into our hands one by one. Once he's done, he returns to the stage, wiggling to pull himself up by his stubby arms. "Okay, okay, I can't wait! Open them!"

I look at the others before fingering the seal on my envelope. I have no idea what my secret could possibly be. Warily, I break open the seal and take out the paper inside. I nearly close my eyes for a second, not wanting to know what it says. Then, I finally read it.

_yoshida etsuko was once suspended for beating up a classmate_

...This is definitely not mine.

"What's this about?" Abe demands, shoving his paper back into its envelope. His cheeks are a bright, angry red. No doubt he was caught off guard by this, too. "Why didn't you give us our own secrets?"

Monokuma's response is raucous laughter. "I told you there was a twist, didn't I? Oh, the looks on your faces! Priceless! I knew this was the right idea the moment I had it." He laughs some more as the rest of us put away our secrets. "Now, do what you will!" He disappears into the wings of the stage. I have to wonder what's back there, especially since there's no other entrance to the stage.

"This is better than I expected," Aoyama laughs, throwing a smug and amused look to Sasaki. "I mean, really. Did you seriously get high in gardening club?"

She sputters, her freckles accented as her entire face burns pink. I can tell that some people (Yoshida and Oshiro) fight a smile. "That- it was an accident, I swear!"

"Not like you, Mr. Most-Popular-Blog," Yoshida snarks, her hidden smile forgotten once she remembers something. You know, I'm fairly certain we're supposed to be avoiding situations like this. Before anyone can stop her: "I think you're well aware that half of your followers are bots you never blocked!"

His expression grows dark instantly. Yoshida must've crossed a line. "Enough," Saito says, stepping back between them before Aoyama can advance towards Yoshida. "Think. This is exactly what Monokuma wants us to do. Everyone who has the decency to do so should keep quiet about the secrets they've received so tensions can be kept low. Those who do not have the decency…" Her pointed glare burns through the two of them. "Congratulations. You've made yourselves targets."

Yoshida and Aoyama at least look a little ashamed. I glance back down at the envelope in my hands. Even though it's not exactly the kind of secret that's embarrassing, I can see why Yoshida would be defensive over it. It's awful of me, but I can't help but wonder if I can fully trust her to help protect everyone. I mean, naturally I can trust her. Why shouldn't I? Plenty of people get suspended for beating up their classmates.

Sasaki moves close to Yasu, whispering something to him. After a second, Yasu shakes his head and whispers something back. "No matter what we do, distrust is already sewn," Abe says, stealing my attention away from them. "So don't spill your secrets and don't say whose secret you have. That's the most you can do to stay safe for the time being."

"Well, cat's out of the bag now," Yoshida sighs, looking to the ceiling in exasperation. "At least now if I'm killed you know who did it."

Aoyama's scowl doesn't lessen as he turns on his heel and storms out. That's- that's quite the secret, actually. It has to do with his entire talent! And from what I've heard about bots, it could probably ruin him and his reputation. Maybe these secrets are more dangerous than I originally thought.

A few beats pass before everyone starts to take his lead and filter out. However, I stay back and sink down against the gym wall. I don't even bother with the bleachers; the wall is closer. I have some serious thinking to do if I want to prevent another murder. I keep my eyes closed so I can focus until I hear someone sit down beside me. I know who it is without even raising my eyes. "Abe?"

"Yes?"

I sigh and look up at the camera directed at us from the opposite corner. I debate my words for a second. Saying them out loud probably won't do any good, but I feel compelled to ask anyway. "We're going to get out of here, right?" It's hard to admit, but… I think I've started to lose hope. We barely have over half of our original numbers. To think about everyone that's died here… It's disheartening.

He follows my gaze, studying the camera. I feel him contemplating his response. "I can't tell you that."

I thought as much. My shoulders hunch forward, trying to curl myself into a ball. "Can you tell me more about your sisters, then? A distraction, I guess."

"I suppose that couldn't hurt." He shifts a little, taking his time to think. For a minute or so, we're encased in silence. "You wouldn't believe this, knowing me now, but my friends and I used to make a lot of trouble for my sisters. I don't know how, but they always put up with us. We were little terrors; it was only a few years ago we all started to get along. That was when my sisters really helped me better myself."

My gaze softens as I listen to him talk. There's that fondness in his voice that I never hear unless he's talking about his sisters. "I bet they all miss you." Before he can say anything else, I ramble on, my mouth moving faster than my brain. "Because you know what I've noticed about you? You are a very easy person to miss. They probably started missing you the moment we were brought here."

He stays quiet for a moment, maybe processing what I said. "We've talked a lot about me. What about you?"

"Oh, it's just me and my parents since my abuela lives in Spain. We travel a lot, that's how I developed my talent." I pause. It feels like gravity is dragging my stomach down. This conversation is no longer the distraction I'd hoped it would be. "I hope they're alright."

Neither of us speak after that. I stare at the opposite wall, thoughts racing through my head. My parents, my abuela, all of the extended family that I've met a handful of times, the friends I've made across the globe… Do they even know I'm here? Do they know how we're all suffering?

Abe stays next to me until I pull myself back together, however shakily. He even offers me his hand. I take it, pulling myself up mostly with my own strength. Abe isn't very strong; he's built like a string bean.

He lets go of my hand quickly once we notice that we're just standing there. "Look. I know I haven't been the easiest person to deal with, but…" He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, again reminding me of my old history professor. Even funnier, two bits of hair stick out on either side until he smooths them back down. "...Nevermind."

I blink as he abruptly turns and walks out of the gym. If those weren't mixed messages he sent me, I don't know what are. I give him a minute out of respect to put some distance between us before heading out myself. The hallways are quiet as I wind through them. There's so much room now, with so few of us. Even upstairs, I run into nobody. It would be hard to bump into anyone-

I think as I walk right into Yoshida on the third floor. Instinctively, I step back, right into the wall. "Sorry!" she yelps, stumbling back a few steps herself. "Jeez, we've got to stop running into each other like this."

"It's alright." My shoulder throbs a little where it hit the wall. Otherwise, I'm completely fine. "What're you up to?"

"Looking for someone to play a game of darts or Othello or something. You in?" She looks hopeful, but I blink back to the secret burning its way through my skirt pocket. What can a quick game really hurt, though? She must see that in my face, because she pumps her fist. "Alright!"

I follow her to the rec room down the hall, looking at some of the games stocked up in the locker in the corner of the room. "How about checkers?" I offer, taking the box out of a pile. It's kind of old and beat up, definitely dusty, but it probably has all the pieces. If not, we can improvise easily.

Yoshida pulls up a chair to the game table, pushing aside the Othello game board so we can set up. "You're on, I'm great at checkers!"

I'm pretty good myself, but I'll keep that fact up my sleeve. Maybe I can win that way. "Is your wrist feeling any better?" I ask as I set up my side of the board.

"Yeah. I don't really need painkillers anymore, and besides, I've had worse." She glances up at my curious face once she's done setting up her side. "Oh, you go first."

Not what I was curious about, but I make my usual first move, pushing a piece into a corner. "Have you really had worse?"

She makes a small noise, moving her first piece. "Thanks to my apparent luck, yeah. Some allergic reactions here, a couple hospital stays there. That essential oils mishap I mentioned in the trial. Ironically, this is my first broken bone, if it's even broken."

I blink, making my next move quick. Our game starts picking up the pace. "That...doesn't sound pleasant."

She gives me a look, like _yeah, no kidding_. "At least I built up a pain tolerance that way, and I always bounced back. So, y'know, not all bad. How about you?"

"Me?" I skip the chance to sacrifice one of my pieces. It's too early in the game for that. "I've never been in a hospital."

"Lucky you. They get old after the first hour." She takes one of my pieces, leaving herself open for me to take two of hers. "So yeah. That was essentially my childhood. As Hope's Peak would probably say, just one luck-induced accident after another."

"You had to have some good luck to balance it out, though," I say as I capture her two pieces.

She thinks for a second before making her next move. "Apart from Hope's Peak, I guess it was kinda lucky that my best friend and I met each other. Especially since it was _in_ the hospital."

It sounds like there's a story there, but she doesn't elaborate. So instead we spend the next few turns in silence. I start to corner her pieces. "Hopefully we get out of here soon so you can see your friend again."

She nods curtly, unknowingly blocking her other pieces in even more. I surround her last few pieces; no matter what she does, I'll win. "Good game," she says, her carefree tone scaled back a touch. "We should play again sometime." I start to clean up, but she waves me off. "I've got this, don't worry about it."

I study her for a second as she tosses the pieces one by one into the box before I stand and leave. I think I hit a nerve of some sort, even though I didn't mean to.

I wander down the hall and up the stairs, coming eventually to the chem lab. I didn't like it in there, not at all, but now that I think of it, we should probably have someone watch the poisons, just in case. Inside is Yasu, looking over the cabinet of vitamins.

"Anything interesting?" I ask, mostly as a way to start some conversation. I doubt there is; otherwise we would've found it already.

"I'm mostly just looking out of curiosity," he admits, turning to me with a half smile. "Y'know, comparing these to what's in the nurse's office. There are a lot more specific vitamins here, the nurse's office mostly just has over-the-counter."

I don't think I would've been able to tell the difference. My mom usually handled all of that when we traveled. "And you know this because of your mom? That's pretty cool."

He shrugs nonchalantly. "It's- yeah, it's kind of cool. She's just really protective of me, so I absorbed all of this information. I think this is the first time I've been somewhere and she hasn't checked on me at least once an hour."

My brow furrows. That's like a smother, isn't it? I keep that to myself, it's kind of rude to say out loud. "Is it difficult, not being able to talk to her?"

"A little? I'm almost glad for the freedom, though. Now if only we were able to go outside of the school, I would actually travel somewhere." He shrugs again, though this time its more loose, almost slack. "But at this point, I'd rather just see her and make sure she's okay. I'm sure she's worrying herself to death, and I don't want that."

"Right. Even if we can't get out of here soon, we'll probably find a way to at least communicate with everyone outside." It's wishful thinking, but if someone can hack the PA system, maybe we can, too. It's at least worth a shot if we ever get the opportunity.

"It's funny. I never thought I would miss her constant smothering. Even my dad tried to get her to lay off, but… I don't know. It's like having a comfort item stolen." He puts his hands in his pockets, and I notice for the first time a silver bracelet on one of his wrists. It's pretty, in a nondescript sort of way. "Nothing keeping myself busy won't fix."

I know that feeling well, especially now. "Don't wear yourself out," I tell him. "I'm going to find something to do, too, but… We need all the energy we can get, you know?"

He nods, his eyes back on the cabinet already. "Thanks for listening, Ishikawa. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

Everyone except for Abe, Aoyama, and Sasaki are in the dining hall for dinner at the same time. We're getting better at gathering at the same time every day, which is either a good thing or depressing given the circumstances. There's enough tension to cut with a knife thanks to the motive, but with Sasaki and Yoshida's secrets already out, they have a little less to worry about. At least, I assume so.

"Should we talk about this?" Yasu asks, pushing his meal around on his plate. It looks to me like he doesn't have much of an appetite. "Every time we try to ignore the motive, we're blindsided. We should at least try to be prepared."

"Every time we try to do something about the motive, we end up with a trial on our hands," Saito counters, her eyes trained on her cup of tea. I'm sure she's one of the people who wishes it was caffeinated, though I do wonder if she would still drink it if it were. "Doing anything is a moot point."

Oshiro shakes her head with a small laugh. "Do you really think that? I mean, do you really want to be a sitting duck?"

Saito's eyes cut over to her. "What do you mean? This is what we can do to keep everyone safe."

Yasu blinks, caught off-guard by the budding argument. "Wait, guys-"

"So you would rather do nothing than, I don't know, share the secrets so nobody has anything left to hide?" Oshiro sits back in her seat, her arms crossed with a look of triumph.

"I- wait, you really want to do that?" Nakamura asks, confusion flashing in his eyes and nervous smile. "But we don't have our own secrets. Is it really okay to expose someone else?"

"Etsuko and Aoyama already did it," she points out with an eye roll. "These secrets aren't the worst things in the world. And if we share them and trust each other, boom! No motive!"

I'll admit that has some merit to it, but given how Yoshida fidgets next to her, even she isn't entirely on board with this, despite sharing Aoyama's secret this morning. "There's no telling how everyone would react," I say softly, trying to gently persuade her. "At least for now, it isn't the best idea."

She pouts, but nods. "That's okay, I guess. I already know who has who's secret."

My mouth falls open as the triumph returns to her expression. "No way you can possibly know that," Nakamura says, taking a sip of his water so he doesn't choke on his food. "How?"

"Easy peasy, it's not entirely astrology but I read the tea leaves!" She taps her cup of tea for emphasis. "I have more than enough information to pull together the secrets everyone has. Most of them aren't anything to worry about."

Saito scoffs, finally looking at Oshiro. "That's much to good to be true. I highly doubt you could pull together anything that specific."

"It's true, though!" Oshiro looks to Yoshida, her eyes wide. "You believe me, right?"

Even though she hesitates for just a second, she nods. "I don't know," I say slowly. "Saito makes a good point, this sort of thing seems too specific for tea reading." I don't know a lot about tea readings, but they're fortune telling, those things never provide specifics.

Oshiro studies me carefully before sighing. "If you think so, go right ahead. We can keep the secrets to ourselves and I'll keep the information I have. No big deal." She pushes herself away from the table, throwing away her garbage. "It's your lives on the line."

Yasu and Yoshida both look like they want to go after her, but they both remain seated. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to become an argument," Yasu says, sounding a little defeated.

"That was inevitable," Saito counters, standing as well. "It would be foolish for anyone to believe in any form of astrology for a matter so important."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yoshida demands, her eyes sharp. I take a deep breath, hoping this doesn't become a huge blow-up.

"It means that even though Oshiro is the Super High-School Level Astrologist, astrology is flawed and vague at best. To determine something this important, something that could mean life or death…" She shakes her head in a pitying manner. "She's blinded you all from that. You trust her and her talent too much."

Yoshida scoffs, rising so she could better shout over Yasu at Saito. Yasu leans towards Sasaki's empty seat. "Hardly! Do you even have any proof that she's lied to us? Hell, she's barely even told us anything about her talent up til now other than last night and you have the audacity to call her a liar? She wouldn't even be here if she was!"

My eyes bounce between the two of them. Their arguing is obviously making Yasu uncomfortable, and me, for that matter. There's no reason for this to be happening, and it's only going to end in someone playing into Monokuma's grubby hands. "What is with all of you and bringing talent in to this?" I cut in. "You do realize a person has worth and merit beyond their talent, right? Talent does not equal personality or intellect."

"Fighting does nothing and you both know that. Settle down, please," Nakamura asks, though his hands are up in surrender in case they both turn on him. I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

But Saito takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a second. "I apologize for losing my temper. It will not happen again." Yoshida nods, not in agreement, but in acceptance. "But I do not apologize for what was said. I stand by my position; you all should not believe astrology over fact at this moment."

She leaves without a single glance at the rest of us. Her anger is one that is silent, cold, and coming off of an archer, that much more terrifying. The anger only hit once she was leaving, not even during the conversation, which I find a bit odd. Is the anger simply because we wouldn't listen? Or is there something else behind it that I'm not privy to?

Yoshida sits back down with a huff and a scowl, poking at her food. Now that it's just the four of us, the air is less charged and more...awkward. Nakamura doesn't meet anyone's eyes; Yasu looks conflicted about whether or not to break the newfound silence.

"It's okay," Yoshida says after a minute. She doesn't lift her head, but she keeps talking with a light voice. "I know Amaya is legit. She knows what she's talking about and Saito doesn't."

I swallow my words before I can say them. Until this point, I think we've all depended on Saito at least a little to be one of the level-headed ones. It would be stupid to just not listen to her after all of that. "I didn't mean to cause an argument," Yasu says again. He runs a hand through his short curls, ruffling them just a touch. He takes a long breath before hesitating. "But I agree with Saito that we shouldn't share the secrets. At least, not yet. It's risky, but…"

Yoshida sighs through her nose. "You don't- that's not what this is about anymore. It's about trust in our talents. What would any of us be without our talents?"

Nakamura blinks and makes a confused noise. "Ourselves but without our talents. It's not that big of a change, we just wouldn't be recognized by Hope's Peak for it."

That opens a whole new can of worms in my mind, but I push it to the back burner. That's a mental conversation for much, much later. "Look. I don't care what the rest of you do. I'm going to trust in Amaya because she's my friend." She gets up again and leaves, tossing out the scraps of her dinner.

"That- huh." Nakamura shakes his head and finishes his dinner before leaving. Yasu follows suit shortly after, leaving me alone to clear my trash.

It's eerie being alone in the dining hall now, even though I was in here before. I guess it just depends on the circumstances. I mean, there was just an argument that has my guard as high as it can go. "You need to relax," Miyuki says, startling me a bit from her seat. I roll my eyes at her with a soft smile. "I'm serious. You have a lot on your shoulders."

"Yeah, because I had to take over as leader. You were a better one than I could ever be."

It's her turn to roll her eyes, dark behind her glasses. "Please, at least you didn't get yourself killed."

I jerk my head over towards her. It's so familiar hearing her voice already that it keeps taking me a second to remember. I ate today, so this can't be just from hunger. "Why are you here?"

She pouts a little before smiling again, brushing her hair behind her shoulders. "Do you not want to see me?"

"That's not what I mean and you know it." But even if I know this isn't really her, it's hard to stay mad. My chest squeezes, feeling like it's going to burst. I remember holding her here, telling her that everything was going to be okay. I don't think I've ever told a bigger lie than that, and it wasn't even on purpose. I sigh, trying to keep myself from going over to her. If anyone comes back in, I'm definitely going to look crazy. That's what this is anyway, right?

"Well, I don't know why I'm here. I think." She rests her chin in her hand. "It can only be for so many reasons."

I squint at her, studying her hard, trying to figure this out. "Are you a ghost or hallucination? I can't tell."

She looks down at herself, then shrugs. "Beats me." Great. Not even a figment of my imagination knows what it is. "Do you want me to leave? I can tell I'm making you uncomfortable."

"Yes. No." I press the heels of my hands to my eyes. When I open them again, she's still there. "That's it. I'm going crazy. Maybe Sasaki knows some kind of medicine to get rid of hallucinations."

"Who's to say she's not having any, either?" The question makes me freeze. I force myself to look away from her. Still, I can tell that she shrugs. "I'm just saying. I probably would be having some if I were still there."

"Okay, but-"

"Who are you talking to?" I nearly jump out of my skin, then turn to see it's only Nakamura again. He lifts and empty plastic cup. "Just came for some more water. Are you alright?"

I nod furtively, though I'm still not even sure I am. I take a quick glance back; Miyuki's gone. "Just talking to myself. I'm gonna go to bed now." It's not even that late. There's no way he actually believes me, Nakamura's a people person.

But he doesn't fight or try to stop me when I walk right past him, not letting out my breath until I get back to my room. I take a quick look around; she's not in here. No way she's a ghost; my mind is playing tricks on me. Ghosts aren't real, and they definitely aren't real in here. Besides, she's the only one of the dead I've seen. I'm pretty sure the others would've shown up at some other time if they were ghosts.

She doesn't show up again for the rest of the night. I stay in my room just in case; I don't want everyone to know about this. Even if they might possibly be experiencing the same, but I doubt that's actually true. I think I would've noticed by now if they were talking to empty rooms. Right?

Either way, the thought clogs my mind. It's all I think about when I'm in the shower, when I'm getting my pajamas on, when I'm crawling into bed and wondering if it's too early to go to bed. Maybe this is happening because I'm tired? As much as I miss Miyuki and want her to stay, I know logically that I'm not going to get her back. This isn't some video game or simulation; this is real life. When someone dies, they stay dead. That's how the world works. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

I lay down and turn out my light, but I'm too afraid to actually fall asleep. What if she shows up again? She's not a bad sight to see, but that means my mental state is just that bad. At least, I think. Maybe this is still the effects from the starvation. I don't want her to show up. I… I don't think I'll be able to carry on a normal conversation if she does. At the same time, I'll have a hard time ignoring her.

It takes a lot of agonizing over that to bring me to the nighttime announcement. I nearly throw a pillow at the monitor before I turn onto my stomach and bury my face into it instead. If only the nighttime announcement forced me to go to sleep.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE XV

"Weather is weird."

"It can be sunny one place, but rainy in another!"

"And even weirder?"

"Where is the border of it?"

"Where it's sunny over one house but raining on another?"

"Has anyone even seen that?"

"Does it even exist?"

**X-X-X**

I'm glad we've already been given a motive, because otherwise I'd be setting myself up for a disastrous no-sleep motive like I did for the starvation. I don't get it, I just slept a lot the other night, but I feel like I barely got two hours last night. Disastrous with no caffeine.

The motive was released early yesterday, so I think if we get through today it'll be more or less the longest we've gone without a death. Which definitely puts me on guard, but there's nothing I can do about it at this point. I've tried everything as a leader and as a follower, but like Saito said, there's really no good option if we're playing right into Monokuma's plan anyway. It's inevitable that someone's going to die.

I shut out the conversations around me over breakfast, not that there are many. None of them matter to me personally, not when I'm still trying to figure everything out. Miyuki isn't here like I almost expected her to be, and I have very mixed feelings about that. Mostly relief.

A balled-up napkin lands in front of me after about twenty minutes. "Are you going to do anything about this?" Aoyama practically shouts from across the table, nodding to Saito, Yoshida, and Oshiro.

Given that I barely know what's happening… If it's just a continuation of last night, there's no reason for me to step in. They can figure it out themselves. I don't say that out loud, though, but I do tune in. "You're being ridiculous," Saito says calmly, though she's definitely terse. "Divination and astrology are not real. Get that through your head."

"Did my last prediction not come true? Maeda died!" Oshiro nearly shrieks, her hands flat on the table. "And now you're going to not trust my talent? I'm no clairvoyant but I know what's up!"

"You can't just make claims of who's going to die with no context or base." Oh, so that's what's happening. "People will start to think that the only way you know that is because you're planning on killing them."

Oshiro sputters indignantly. "What? No!"

I wave my hands to get their attention. "What exactly is happening? I wasn't listening."

Oshiro huffs, crossing her arms. "Saito doesn't believe that I know who's going to be killed next."

"Because she doesn't," Saito smoothly interjects, not looking her way. "It's not possible."

"Well, who did you say was going to be killed next? If nothing else, we can at least protect them," Sasaki urges. At this point, I truly do believe that she's the most responsible of us.

"If we're not careful, it's gonna be Abe," she warns gravely. Saito rolls her eyes, and Oshiro scowls. "I swear it. He's going to be next. And I don't know if protecting him will even help."

Abe sighs mutedly. Somehow, I doubt he's even surprised. "That's not going to happen," he says after a second. I can tell that he believes that. "And your prediction based on superstition was only half true last time. Maeda was not the next to die; he killed Ueda, if you'll recall."

She pouts, sinking down in her seat. "If you don't believe me, then go right ahead and tempt fate!"

I start to tune out the conversation again. All this talk of tempting fate is just...ridiculous. Oshiro is a Hope's Peak Student for a reason, but I have no reason to believe that anything she's saying is actually true. There's no proof behind it, and that's how we've come to every conclusion since we got here. I'm not about to start doing anything other than that.

Another napkin lands in front of me. "Would you stop that?" I say, chucking it back at Aoyama. "What do you want?"

"Someone's grumpy," he mutters, just loud enough for me to hear. "You're really not going to do anything about this? Nothing?"

"I don't know why you care." I start picking up the scraps from my orange peel. This one was much more messy than usual; my hands feel sticky from all of the juice. "You're usually one of the agents of chaos here. You should be thriving."

Something in him shifts just enough for me to notice without trying, almost like he's offended. "Fine." Something flickers just behind him, and my breath catches. Not here. Not now. I stand with the peel in my hands and toss it out hurriedly. "Leaving just because I asked you one thing?"

I don't dignify him with an answer. I need to get back to my room, or somewhere they won't look for me. These...whatever they are. I can't let anyone know about them. I keep repeating that until I find myself in the library on the second floor yet again. The books and the musty smell are comforting, if only a little bit.

I sink into the desk chair this time, rather than the floor. If I did that any more, I'm sure my back would pay for it. It's not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. I rest my head in my arms on the desk for a minute or two, reveling in the silence. It's a much different silence than ignoring conversations, one that right now I prefer. I take a few deep breaths and hold them for a few seconds. The weird feeling in my stomach starts to go away.

I...should've done more in the dining hall. I should've listened. I'm being a bad leader, if I'm really even a leader at all. Abe and Saito are smarter, Sasaki is more responsible. The only leader thing I can do is talk. Communication only gets us so far alone. A good leader would have all of those skills. Like Miyuki.

God, I need to stop thinking about her. I only really knew her for, what, just over a week? What gives me the right to be hung up about this? By all accounts, I didn't know her at all. And yet she keeps appearing and I keep thinking of what-could-have-beens. I'm trapped in that mindset for whatever reason. There's no logic to it at all, though admittedly this situation doesn't give much room for logic. It has room enough for hysteria and suspicion and only a sliver of reasoning. No logic.

I watch the clock for a while, letting the numbers fill my head instead of actual thoughts. It's easier for the time to go that way, and soon enough I've been sitting here for an hour. Time flies when having fun, but also apparently when I'm trying to block out thoughts.

Everyone's probably out of the dining hall by now, wandering around the school or doing their own thing. I could do the same, maybe talk to some people now that I've calmed myself down, but I just don't have the energy in me. I feel lethargic, almost like that day I was sick but without the other symptoms. Is this a burnout of some kind? But I haven't even done much of any specific thing…

Honestly, though, if it weren't against the rules, I would probably already be sleeping in here. I can feel the bags tugging under my eyes, my eyelids drooping. Chances are I look like hell yet again, but I've never cared much about my looks and I'm not about to start. This is just an off day, it has to be. It's the only explanation.

After giving it a minute of thought, I decide to head back to my room and take a long shower. Those always help me, even here. There should be no reason for it to not help now. At the very least, I'll be a little extra clean and I'll have one less thing to do later.

And it does feel nice, warmth wrapping around me. I didn't think it would be such a relief to breath in the steam. Sometimes it can feel suffocating, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else right now. It's the most amazing thing. I even keep the bathroom lights off so I'm in total darkness, which only enhances the peaceful ambiance.

When I step out and get dressed, it feels like I've entered a new day. First things first, I should probably find Aoyama and- ugh- apologize to him for being so snippy. Then maybe I can figure out Saito and Oshiro's deal, see what's going on there. And I know I said before I didn't really believe her, but Oshiro wasn't wrong before with the death omen. There's no reason for us to not believe it'll come true this time since Maeda died last time. Still, it would be best to approach the situation with caution. Maybe there's a way for Oshiro and Saito to both be right about this.

I check the dining hall first, just in case anyone was still in there. It's empty now, all the trash thrown away and the food put back. No one is in the nurse's office, or the gym. I glance at the stairs warily. Do I really want to go on a wild goose chase right now when they're probably in their rooms or something?

I linger for a minute or so before giving up for the time being. Chances are they'll all return to the dining hall for lunch, so I return there and wait. It's easier for them to find me than for me to find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do love a good secrets motive :3 And look at Ishikawa, I think she's starting to lose it smh
> 
> Please don't hesitate to leave a review!


	17. Chapter 4 Part III

Except...nobody shows up for lunch. I make myself some cup noodles (which I still maintain are kind of gross) and eat, but nobody comes in. So either they aren't hungry, or everyone is avoiding each other. Given this morning's events, the latter is most likely.

I don't think it's ever been so quiet in here. I've been here on my own before, yeah, but for some reason it just hits differently when I know there's been an argument. I debate getting up and leaving around one when Saito comes in, looking worn. "Is everything alright?" I ask her, swivelling around in my seat to see her since my back is to the door.

"Fine." She disappears into the kitchen for a minute or two, returning with just an apple. She takes her seat on the opposite side of the table. "I apologize for making a scene this morning."

"It's fine. I'm just sorry that I didn't really listen." And I definitely should've. Chances are that everything would've been smoothed over by now if I'd stayed and helped everyone talk through it. Here I am, kicking myself that I didn't. "I think being in this situation for so long is bringing the worst out of all of us."

"You're correct in that. Especially with the secrets…" Something dark crosses her face. She reaches to her neck, making a face when her fingers don't find the chain of her necklace. She probably forgot to put it on today. "They're dangerous, but the one I was given gives me no reason to kill the person."

I nod in agreement. Monokuma did call some of them "vanilla." "It wasn't even that bad of a secret, really. Yeah, it made me rethink a thing or two, but it wasn't like the person murdered someone." Which makes me wonder what the true intended effect of the secrets is, if they're so mild in these two cases. "I'm just curious about what Monokuma dug up about me, I don't think I've done anything secret-worthy."

Saito passes her apple from hand to hand, studying the skin. "I have a strong feeling about what mine is. I would rather not have it go around, but I suppose it can't be helped at this point." She sighs mutedly and keeps eating. Once she's about halfway through the apple, she pauses. "Abe refused to have guards of any sort, despite what Oshiro believes to be true."

I figured as much. He didn't seem convinced at all this morning. "So he doesn't believe her still?"

"It's more like he doesn't care about what she says." She contemplates what she's going to say next. "We offered to have a couple of us stay with him just to make sure everything would be fine, but he refused, saying that nothing was going to happen to him. Oshiro just about threw another fit, but even she gave into him in the end."

Abe can be very persuasive- or stubborn- when he wants to be, I guess. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, given what I've already seen from him. I'm just glad I'm usually on his good side. "Where is everyone now, then?"

"Yasu and Sasaki are likely somewhere together, as are Yoshida and Oshiro. Nakamura and Aoyama both went back to their rooms, and Abe is simply wandering. Perhaps he thinks if he tempts 'fate,' nothing will happen." She basically sneers as she makes air quotes. I didn't know she hated astrology so much, or at least is extremely irritated by it. "I'm surprised you haven't seen any of them."

I shake my head. "Nobody was out on this floor when I checked. I've been here for about an hour and a half, and nobody's come in except for you. I was starting to think that everyone left without me somehow."

They wouldn't, I don't think. They're nice enough to at least let me know before leaving if they found an exit. They wouldn't leave me here. Well, maybe Aoyama would. But everyone else wouldn't.

"Likely they're avoiding each other," she says, finishing off her apple. Somehow she managed to eat it without getting any juice on her hands. I admire that skill. "This morning was unfortunately not just between me and Oshiro. Everyone is affected to some extent because they believe in either my opinion or hers. That is how arguments go. We'll see which one is right in the end, though I suppose I should apologize to her for being so trite."

Responsible and mature of her. Like I thought, she would be a much better leader than me. And with how organized and neat she is, we'd all be on a good schedule and would probably be so much more productive than doing nothing in different places each day. Maybe if she'd been leading us, we would've found more during our last investigation. Maybe there wouldn't have been an investigation to begin with, because she would've prevented all of the deaths we've suffered.

My mind wanders to what I should do once we're both done talking. There's truly nothing to do around here. I could find a game, but I need other people willing to play. I could find a new book in the library, but I was just there. I could clean, I could do something in the gym, I could go back to the ice rink, there are a lot of options but there are reasons not to do each one.

"I'm going back to my room," Saito says after another minute of silence. "Then I may go look for Oshiro and Yoshida so I may apologize."

"Sounds good." I stay in my seat until she leaves, then lean back and stare at the ceiling. I don't think I've ever felt so unmotivated to do anything in my life. Maybe I just need to find that one thing to do.

I start by poking my head inside the gym again. There's nobody there, and everything is as it was when we went to find the motive. Chances are that nobody's been in here since then. I probably should be in here more, or in the locker room with workout equipment. Usually my "workouts" are long walks, but I obviously haven't been keeping up with any of that. Thinking about that makes me a bit self-conscious, but I brush that off quick. It's not like I've been eating more than usual anyway, so I should be fine.

Nobody's in the nurse's office still. There's nothing really to do in there unless you need something from there. Same with the media room; the computers don't work, so unless you want to spend forever trying to turn them on, there's no point in being there.

I loop around by the dorms again. Trash room empty, storeroom empty, everything empty. So either everyone really is in their rooms or they're on the upper floors and I'm just too lazy to look. Could be either, or both. I'm not feeling particularly motivated enough to check.

Instead, I stop by my room quickly and grab a book. I might as well still wait for people to come by the dining hall, but now I'll have something to do while I wait. It was a bit boring before.

So I sit. And wait. And read. I barely notice the time passing thanks to my book- it's a really interesting one, a biography in Finnish- until my stomach starts growling. I make myself dinner, trying to multitask and keep reading without getting any food on the pages. That's one of my biggest pet peeves. If even the tiniest bit of grease gets on the pages, the book is as good as ruined, so I'm really playing with fire here.

Even after I finish, nobody comes by. There's nothing else for me to do, so I keep hanging around the dining hall with my book. It's not too late- I had an early dinner- but it would still be nice to see at least one other person before the day ends. It's not like everyone is going to magically appear at the same time, though. Maybe we should've put together an actual meal schedule when this started. We would've been so much more organized if we had.

I crack open my book again, having closed it as I was cleaning my dishes from dinner, and slouch a bit in my seat as I read. I can't believe I've been in here for most of the day. Alone, too, not even a hallucination-ghost-thing in sight. While that part feels nice, it's strange, almost eerie. I feel like I've already gotten used to living here…

Which, yeah, is a dangerous line of thought. Adapting to the paranoia is as good as giving up. At the same time, we've already lost so many people. Maybe learning to live here is-

The bells sound, shocking my system. "A body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather in the physics lab!"

-just what we need.

I drop my book on the table and start running, taking the stairs two by two. I haven't seen anybody except for Saito since breakfast. All of the possibilities race through my mind. Was it Nakamura? Abe? Sasaki? Where they poisoned? When? How?

It looks like I'm the last one to the physics lab, fighting to catch my breath. I can't see much around everyone other than Yoshida sitting on the group, her back to me. Sasaki moves aside so I can see, her face grim. Dread settles in my stomach fully before I get a clear view. After all, only one of us is small enough to fit in Yoshida's arms.

Oshiro lays in them, her eyes widened with shock but dull. Her head falls in an unnatural way; seeing it makes me sick to my stomach. "She did nothing wrong," Yoshida growls, stroking Oshiro's hair so it's out of her face. "Nothing."

"Yoshida, you probably shouldn't handle her body," Sasaki reminds her gently, taking a step forward. Yoshida shows no sign that she heard her until she slowly and carefully shifts Oshiro off of her lap. Sasaki bends over, closing her eyes. Yoshida doesn't move from Oshiro's side.

"Aw, I didn't think y'all were gonna start without me!" Monokuma skips into the room, weaving between us but bumping into our legs, probably on purpose. "Oh, whatever! Here's your Monokuma File!" He pushes one into my hands as he passes. I'm not sure what it can tell us that we can't already tell from looking at her. "Love to stay and chat, but I have some business to attend to! Toodle-oo!"

His presence keeps getting shorter and shorter, not that I mind. I glance at the file, which Nakamura reads aloud. "The victim is Oshiro Amaya, Super High-School Level Astrologist. The time of death is estimated to be around noon. The body was discovered in the physics lab on the third floor at around five in the evening." That's...wow, that's a huge gap. How did nobody else notice before? "There is evidence that the victim's right knee is dislocated." Precious little once more, not that I expected to suddenly be given more information. "Well, alright. I guess we should start looking-"

"Can somebody else guard the scene with Saito?" Abe interrupts loudly, making us pause. "I want to investigate this time."

Is this supposed to be surprising? I can't tell. "I can," Sasaki says, moving so she's near Saito. She stands a bit awkwardly, not entirely sure what she's supposed to be doing. Abe nods to her in thanks and doesn't waste any time-

-leaving? Hold up. Where does he think he's going? I follow him on an impulse until he's halfway down the hall, almost outside the art room. He stops and turns, looking at my intently as I approach. "Good. I knew you'd follow."

"What are you talking about?" He shushes me, throwing a cautionary glance down the hall. I purse my lips for a second. "Abe, what-"

"You can't trust anyone." I blink, taken aback. "I know you're you and you want to trust everyone, but you can't. The secrets provide too much of a motive. We don't know who had Oshiro's secret, and we don't know whose secret she had. Everyone is suspicious if or until we can figure that out."

There's something frantic behind his eyes that was definitely never there before. "Why are you telling me this? Why now?"

He sighs, picking at the sleeves of his jacket. Even now, he looks so put-together. "Because, against my better judgement, I trust you."

Twist of the century. I would poke fun at him for it, but instead, I sigh and cross my arms. "Anything else I need to know going into this?"

"Not that I can think of." He beckons for the two of us to return to the physics lab, finally. Everyone's already busy when we return, so I get right to work.

Even with her jacket on, Oshiro looks thinner, smaller, when she's laying down. I'm so used to her being one of the sources of chatter, of laughter. This is so strange.

It's staggeringly obvious what the cause of death is, even without the Monokuma File telling us this time. I mean, can it really be anything other than a broken neck? Nothing else would make any logical sense if nothing else was marked down. I have to wonder how it was broken, though. I guess it's possible here with the observation deck, but that's only one of the possibilities.

I can feel Yoshida keeping a close eye on me and anyone else who goes near Oshiro's body. I carefully move around her, looking for anything that could help. It wasn't noted on the Monokuma File, but there's a barely-there bruise surrounded by the red of irritated skin on the left side of her neck. Something definitely happened there, but maybe it wasn't listed because it looks like it's just fading, though I could've sworn it wasn't there this morning. It probably isn't worth getting hung up over.

In her jacket pocket is her e-Handbook and room key, nothing I wouldn't expect. My hand brushes against her arm, my wrist scratching against something. I glance down; there's a piece of paper clutched in her closed fist. "Rigor mortis," Yasu says, crouching down next to me and nearly scaring the living daylights out of me. I didn't even hear him come here. "If we didn't have the time of death, we could've used this to estimate the time of death, right, Abe?"

He glances over when he hears his name and takes a moment to process, almost surprised. "I think so. How did you-"

"I usually have a lot of reading time, so I've read my fair share of murder mysteries." He smiles sheepishly before turning back to Oshiro, his gaze softening. Carefully, he pries open her fist, retrieving the scrap of paper. He smooths it out, being sure not to tear it. "Huh, it's smudged. Can you make out any of it?"

I take the scrap of paper. Whatever's on it was written in ink, but it ran, each letter bleeding into the next so much that I can barely understand what it says. "...Etsu. Those are the only four letters I can make out."

Yasu sits back on his heels, thinking. "Like part of a name? Maybe that's whose secret she had."

I run through everyone's full names, ticking them off on my fingers, but the only one who has "etsu" in it is Yoshida Etsuko. And this can't be her secret; I have her secret. This will definitely require some more thought later on. "Is there anything else here you notice? Any little thing."

He looks over her quickly again. "I think…" He shifts a bit, pointing down to her right leg. "Something about this doesn't seem quite right."

I remember the Monokuma File said that her knee was dislocated, and it's kind of obvious; her leg isn't straight. Either way, I think he's right. She's wearing leggings, but the area right under her knee is rubbed a little raw, almost like the fabric there is thinned or stretched. Kind of like rope burn, but on clothing? Maybe? "Why is that there?" I wonder aloud.

"That's probably something we'll have to figure out in the trial." Yasu's smile is soft, sad. He and Oshiro were pretty close, too. Whatever went on today was not his fault. I push myself up, offering him a hand. "I'm going to see if anyone knows what could've happened with her leg. Any theories, that kind of stuff."

I nod as he turns to talk to Yoshida in a lowered voice. The next part I need to search is the room itself. I start poking around, trying to find anything that could be of use. Usually it's the smallest things that give us the most evidence, so I need to pay close attention. The room is surprisingly clean; I don't see any signs of a struggle. Everything looks just like it did when I looked through here the first time, with the obvious exception of a corpse. But I digress.

There's almost no dirt on the floor, nothing that could count as evidence. It's like there's nothing here at all. "Did you find anything?" I ask Aoyama, fully expecting an answer of "no."

Instead, he brandishes a roll of duct tape. "This was on the shelf over there. When we came here first, it hadn't been used, but now it has." He registers my shock at his help almost immediately. "What? It caught my eye, so I went to see what it was."

"Alright. Well, thanks." The word sounds foreign in my mouth when I say it to him. He looks all too pleased to hear me say it. I scowl at him. "Any idea why it was used?"

"Do I look like a mind reader?" And we're already back to him being his usual unhelpful self. It was nice while it lasted. "I've done my part."

This close. I am this close to cursing him out in Ancient Greek.

Okay. I need to stop being annoyed with Aoyama and start finding more evidence. Since he said the duct tape was used, maybe there's something in the trash bin in the corner of the room. If we're lucky, this blackened is either neat enough or dumb enough to throw it out in here.

Nakamura has the same idea, apparently. "Not sure if this means much, but this was the only thing in the trash." He shows me a small balled-up strip of duct tape. It couldn't have been very long, but that's all I can tell about it.

"You're a mind reader!" He rubs the back of his neck with a small smile at my compliment. "But we can't really figure out its use, can we?"

"Oh, I guess you're right." I hand it back to him, but I definitely keep a mental tab open about it. "Leave that to me, I'll see if I can figure something out."

I nod; he's pretty reliable. I can rest easy knowing he's on it. So the next area to check is the closet thing. Abe's already in there, poking around some of the stored equipment. The first thing that catches my eye is a dolly in the corner, completely stationary. It doesn't look like it moved at all. Next is a length of rope laying neatly coiled on a shelf. "Did you see this?" I ask him.

He looks over and nods. "It was there when we initially investigated in the same state. I don't think it was used at all."

"It was coiled like this?" He nods again before going back to what he was doing. I pick it up to investigate it a little further. Nothing about it seems odd immediately. I uncoil it a little, examining all the way around the rope. Naturally there wouldn't be any blood on it. I guess the only thing we have to connect it to the case would be something that may or may not be fabric rope burn. Perfect.

Though that does remind me to look even closer. Maybe there are fibers or something? If it came into contact with her leggings in the way I think, there might be. And a little way down, I find some. They're barely there, and for all I know they were there before, but they could mean something. I wrap it back up carefully and put it back on the shelf.

Everything else on the shelves looks exactly the same as it did the first and only time I came in here. There isn't much to see to begin with, but if my memory serves me, everything is in place. I doubt anything else in here has connection to this case.

"Have you found anything?" I ask, waiting back for Abe to finish.

"No." He looks out to the main area quickly. "You realize there's a very good chance that the motive was involved in targeting her."

"You think she was targeted like that?" Even before the sentence is fully out in the open, I know that's the only possible explanation. Killing someone in a way like this had to be premeditated, not spur of the moment. And since there was no struggle, there is no way to claim self defense, not that that would help at all. "And the secret caused that… What about this morning, though?"

He ponders this, his mouth set in a line. "You know that I never believed her death warning for a moment, but I understand if some suspicion is cast on me. This was how her warning worked with Maeda, after all. But I can assure you, if you'd be inclined to believe me, that I had nothing to do with this."

Then he turns and retreats to the main area. That's not really what I was referring to, but any assurance is better than nothing, I guess. Though I do need to be critical, like he said. I can't trust anyone, even though I want to take his word for this. He'll have to prove it to everyone else later anyway.

I sigh and tug at the hem of my shirt before going back to the main room. I've more or less checked every inch of this place, and with everyone in such a small area, I doubt there's anything we've missed. So the only place left to check is…

My eyes lift to the observation deck. It's almost a given that this has something to do with the case, given the nature of Oshiro's death. "I'm going to check there," I say to nobody in particular. Almost immediately, Sasaki grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. "Look, it's okay. I'll be careful."

Her gaze searches me for a second before she lets go. "Okay. Just- yeah. Be careful." Like I said: most responsible.

I reach the ladder in a few steps, trying to banish the thought that it looks incredibly unstable. Still, I reach up for the rungs, careful not to look down or lose my footing. That said, it takes a little longer than I would've liked. I can only hope nobody is watching and judging me for that. It's a near godsend when I reach the deck.

Heights never used to bother me before. Now, though, I'm hyperaware that I can hear and feel each tentative step I take. I have a vice grip on the guard rail, my knuckles sheet white. Whose idea was it to make something in a school so unstable? Or maybe that's just a feat of my imagination. At this point it's hard to tell.

I inch carefully to the edge furthest from the ladder before getting on my knees. The more that's in contact with the ground, the better. I can see the entire room from up here; this is a surprisingly good vantage point. Everyone is still investigating, of course. My gaze lands on Oshiro, trying to determine if she had fallen from anywhere up here. As I suspect is a recurring theme, I can't tell for sure, not if I don't know what was involved. Plus, as I noted before, there might not have been anything involved. She may have just been pushed off. Instead of dwelling on that, I move to inspect the rail and deck. If there was no sign of a struggle on the ground, maybe there will be up here.

Given the way the deck was built- I don't know hot to describe it other than slightly more solid and spiky chain link fence- there's not enough area for there to be any scuff marks. I look instead for any dents or scratches in the metal, anywhere there might be room for some. There aren't any on the handrail; haven't been from the ladder all the way to here. A lot of the supports are clean, no marks or scratches. Two, however, aren't.

They're slightly bent near the base, just barely noticeable. A little of the paint looks like it's been scratched in a little horizontal stripe. It's going to be much harder to figure out how that happened, or if this is even part of the case. I don't think anyone would have the guts to come up here otherwise.

That's all I can find up there, so I go back down the ladder slowly, pausing when something shines in the corner of my eye. Once I assure myself I won't die if I manage to fall, I reach over. It's a tiny bit of chain, very small. I don't think the length is any more than a centimeter. Whatever it is could be important, so I slip it into the pocket of my skirt. With that done, I climb the rest of the ladder down, my heart beating hard until my feet are on solid ground again.

"Hey, Ishikawa?" Yasu touches my shoulder lightly, startling me once again. He's really light on his feet. I have to keep that in mind. "I'm collecting alibis, can I hear yours?"

"There's not much to it," I admit, loosely crossing my arm so he can't tell that my hands are shaking. "I was in the dining hall just about all day. I couldn't find anyone, so I just waited there. I had lunch around noon, then Saito came in a little after. We talked for a while, then she left, and I grabbed a book from my room before returning. I was in there reading until the body discovery announcement."

He nods, obviously thinking about something. At least my alibi is partially accounted for, even if it's not the time of death. It could still be useful. "That should be alright," he says after a second. Then he looks around and leans in a bit, his voice lowered. "You didn't happen to have Oshiro's secret, did you?"

"No, I didn't." He searches my face, probably making sure I'm not lying. "Did you?"

"No. And I know she didn't have mine, either." He sighs mutedly and casts another glance back at her body. "I would think that the most suspicion would fall on whoever had her secret or whoever's secret she had."

Which makes sense. "How can we figure out whose secret she had, though? That little bit of writing isn't nearly enough to go off of."

He has to think for a minute about that. "We could always use the process of elimination? Though I guess that means we would all have to be okay in saying whose secret we had, and that could stir up more tension down the road."

"There's no good way to do this." Because that was exactly what Oshiro had wanted to do. Would the outcome have been any different if we had? I don't think that question will ever go away, not for any of these situations.

Yasu presses his lips together, tugging a small bit of hair out of his eyes. "Well, I'm not sure if there's anything else we can do about this. We're either going to have to expose all the secrets or pray that we have enough evidence without them."

Neither option is pretty. But we've gotten so far with pulling everything together, maybe we can somehow manage this one, too. I'm really sick of us being thrown into these situations. Why can we not avoid them?

Speaking of avoidance, the monitor flicks on. I ignore Monokuma's voice, overjoyed at us being called back to trial again. Maybe he thinks this is the one that's going to kill us all.

All the evidence I've collected plays over and over in my mind as we file out of the room. Yoshida is the last one out, taking a lingering look behind her at Oshiro. It feels awful to just leave the dead where they are while we have to go debate the circumstances of their deaths.

"It's lonely," Miyuki confirms, walking next to me. I frown and keep my eyes ahead. I can't respond, right now. If this is a hallucination, I shouldn't respond anyway. "Especially waiting before you found me."

I take in a sharp breath, ignoring the odd looks I get from Aoyama and Sasaki. She'd been helpful until this point; why is she telling me this? I don't want to know. I don't want to know.

She peers into the elevator. "It's a lot more roomy in here." She steps in, standing next to me like she did before the first trial. I try not to look, but I can see her slip her hand into mine. I don't feel it, of course. This isn't real. I keep repeating that in my mind. This isn't real.

What's real is the trial. I need to organize my thoughts, focus on Oshiro and her killer. She deserves justice, and I need to help serve it. I can't fail everyone, not because of a small distraction.

I blink, and she's gone. The elevators doors open.

Time to begin again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3
> 
> Please don't hesitate to leave a comment!


	18. Chapter 4 Part IV

Anger comes off of Yoshida in waves, from the moment we step into the trial room. It reminds me of me two trials ago. She's just next to Miyuki's portrait across from me, so the instant she looks up, her anger is directed solely at me rather than Fujimoto's portrait.

Monokuma takes one look at her before starting the trial. "...You all know the drill at this point. I don't need _that_ coming after my hide. So, ah, go ahead and begin!"

"Let me say this: fuck all of you!" Yoshida shouts right off the bat. Yasu's hands fly up in a surrendering gesture, and a look of insult crosses Aoyama's face. Nobody else reacts much. I'm not even that surprised. "It was because of all of you that this happened and you know it. None of this would've happened if we'd shared the secrets, or you actually believed her, or-"

"Breathe," Sasaki advises, though she already flinches back like she's expecting retaliation. "The only fault lies with Monokuma for giving us-"

"Lemme stop ya right there." If Monokuma weren't a plush robot thing, his eyes would likely be narrowed right now. "Haven't I been saying this entire time that I simply hand out the motives? It's you who decides whether or not to act on them! I just tempt ya." He pauses, settling down from his progressive anger. "So leave me out of this, would ya?"

Yoshida nearly growls at him. "Whatever! Whoever did it just needs to own up to it now before I personally make their life hell!"

I exchange a quick look with Abe, who nods subtly. We both know we aren't going to be able to make any progress if we can't calm her down.

"Just man up and confess!" she screams, her voice carrying across the trial room. I don't think she notices that she's only pushing everyone further into silence.

"Yoshida," I try saying, "you need to calm down."

It's obvious that she's not going to, though, not now. "Not until her killer confesses!"

I sigh quickly, pushing aside my thoughts so I can focus on her. "We have to go through the trial process to find her killer."

"No, this way is easier! It's not like we have any real evidence anyway."

Her words almost seem to jumpstart my brain. "We have the secrets. We may not have an abundance of clues, but we know where to start."

She opens her mouth and shuts it again. Her shoulders slump a little, the tension slowly leaving her along with her anger. "You can keep talking."

How flattering. Still, I take the chance before she changes her mind. "Look, there's a really good chance that this is somehow connected to the motive. You said yourself the other day that Aoyama would be suspicious if you were killed since you had his secret. The opposite would also be true; whoever had your secret would be suspicious as well. Don't you agree?" She thinks before nodding, somewhat begrudgingly. Now we have a starting point. "Alright, then."

"The question is whether or not they would own up to it," Nakamura says, looking between us all like that would give him an answer. "Why cast that suspicion on yourself?"

Abe fields this question. "They would have to. After all, everyone only had one secret handed to them. We could very easily use the process of elimination to find-"

Saito lifts her chin, almost challenging all of us. "I had her secret."

Abe clearly wasn't expecting to be cut off so suddenly; he's speechless. "But...you do realize that this makes you suspicious," Yasu checks, just to be sure.

"I do. I'm sure I can handle it, as I am not the culprit." The challenging look transfers to her eyes. "Nor was it a secret to kill over. Despicable, yes, but not fatal."

Even though I remember her saying that already, my curiosity piques before I tamp it back down. Aoyama is obviously not the same as me; his eyes light up. "And just what was her secret?"

"That's not relevant!" Yoshida snaps at him, gaining back an ounce of her fire. "What's relevant is figuring this out now. And that means looking to the _real_ biggest suspect, now that I think of it: Abe."

Abe blinks slowly. "I'm what?"

"You're the biggest suspect. Don't you all remember how Amaya's death prophecy thing worked last time? Maeda was marked for death and he killed Ueda." She gestures over to Abe. "You're marked for death now. Therefore, you probably killed Amaya."

"You're taking this all out of context," he reasons with her, or at least tries to. "Maeda and Ueda were both affected by the motive video that time. I have no reason to kill Oshiro." He's staying perfectly calm; I'm inclined to believe him, at least for the time being.

Yoshida shakes her head at him, but before she can say anything, Sasaki interrupts. "I hate to be the one to say this, but we shouldn't spend our time on baseless accusations. This should progress like a normal trial, just so we can keep track of everything. If you still feel the death prophecy was right then, we'll reevaluate." She all but stares Yoshida down with the icy gaze of a professional babysitter. Yoshida doesn't stand five seconds under it before she gives in. "Alright. Let's start with the murder weapon. What did we find?"

Yasu looks at all of us, twisting the silver bracelet adorning his wrist. "I don't know, but is it possible that there was no weapon? I mean, it's relatively easy to break someone's neck...right?"

That's what I had thought before. I'd heard of people's necks being broken almost a million different ways. "I noticed she had a bruise on her neck," I say after a beat. "Would that point to anything?"

"I'm not sure," Nakamura admits, though he does think on it. "A bruise isn't likely to be much evidence, unless it was large, like a handprint. Even then, I don't think any of us have the strength to break someone's neck with just our own hands. Not even Saito is that strong."

Hm. I hadn't even noticed that she's the strongest of us, the only athlete left. And if she couldn't do it without some kind of tool, there's only one conclusion to come to. "There was definitely something else used. We just need to determine what that was."

"Easier said than done," Aoyama says, crossing his arms. Look, he's right, but he doesn't need to say it. "The only thing I found at the crime scene was a roll of duct tape. I highly doubt you can kill someone with that."

"Not unless you get creative. I read a book once where the killer taped the victim's mouth and nose shut so they suffocated." Yasu blinks at the odd looks she gets. "Okay, I know how weird that sounds, but I have a lot of time on my hands. I've read my fair share of murder mysteries. I promise it's not anything shady."

I snap my fingers. "You may be onto something with the duct tape, though. It was definitely used. Nakamura, didn't you find that one piece in the trash?"

He nods, hopefully seeing where I'm going with this. "The use isn't really obvious, so it's possible that it could've been used to cover her mouth."

"Why would that be the case?" Saito asks, a bit surprised.

I shrug; it makes perfect sense to me. "We don't really know for sure, but there's a chance that her killer just wanted to be sure that she couldn't call for help. Logically, someone would've heard it if she had, and then their plan would be ruined."

"That still doesn't tell us what was used to kill her," Sasaki points out. "Was there nothing else?"

I move my hands a little, trying to get my train of thought to move along with them. It's surprisingly difficult. "If all else fails, it's possible she might've fell, or was pushed, from the observation deck. That could definitely lead to a broken neck if she hit the ground right."

"There's no way to prove that," Aoyama sings in a tired voice.

"Maybe there would be if you got off your sorry ass and helped investigate for once!"

There's not a single one of us whose jaw doesn't drop. I swallow. "Yoshida-"

"I'm not done." Her gaze skirts back over to Aoyama, just on the other side of Miyuki's portrait beside her. "You're a stubborn pain in the ass who feels like he needs to get in the way of the progress we're trying to make. Not one of us here likes being around you more than we have to, not even Yasu. Hell, people on the internet probably don't even like you, that's why you have so many bots following you! I don't know why you think you can slack off and keep us from reaching a conclusion faster, but you can either help us survive the trial or shut. The fuck. Up."

I watch Yoshida carefully, my attention called back to her secret. She could easily leave her podium right now and start a physical fight. There's nothing stopping her. I suspect the only reason she hasn't already is because solving Oshiro's murder takes priority.

The trial room remains quiet for a good minute or two. None of us are sure how to continue the original line of conversation. Saito eventually clears her throat. "Ishikawa may be onto something. A fall from the observation deck would be the most plausible."

"Okay, so… Couldn't this be ruled an accident?" Nakamura rubs at his chin a little in thought. "If she was up there and slipped-"

Yasu shakes his head. "We wouldn't be having a trial for that, would we?"

Rather than debate that, our eyes land on Monokuma, who appears to be sharpening his claws. "What're ya looking at me for? Is it voting time already?"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Would we be having a trial if Oshiro's death was an accident?"

"Would you, would you, hmm…" He covers his mouth as he snickers. "No telling!"

I shouldn't be surprised. And yet. "We have evidence that points to foul play, if that's what you were asking," Abe tells Nakamura. "For example, the state of her body."

Thinking back to the most prominent thing at the crime scene, I nod. "You're talking about her knee, right?" Sasaki checks hesitantly. "How would that point to foul play?"

"Two reasons: one, it would be strange if a hypothetical fall broke her neck and dislocated her knee without doing damage to anything else. That would've been put in the Monokuma File. Two, there was the thinning of the fabric of her leggings, just under her dislocated knee. If it's from what I think it's from, then there's no doubt that foul play was involved."

"I remember, it looked like rope burn on a fabric," Yasu says, then pauses. "Was there rope anywhere? I didn't see any."

I glance at Abe; he was there, too. "There was rope in the back room, but it didn't look like it was used. There wasn't anything on it that could tie it to the crime scene."

Abe nods carefully. "I'm not sure if there's a way to do that, but I'm almost positive it was used."

"That would make sense in a way, but I suspect not the way you're thinking." Nakamura tugs a little as his collar in discomfort. "Doesn't hanging break the victim's neck?"

I think so? "Only if it's done correctly," Abe answers. "For example, back in the Salem Witch Trials in America, most of the victims of the hangings suffered from asphyxiation from the noose rather than having their neck broken. That was due to the short drop from the support to the ground." He shakes his head slightly. "I'm unsure of what a long drop would look like, so we can't entirely tell if she was hung correctly or if her neck was broken in a different manner."

It's at this point in our conversation that I fully realize how messed-up all of this is. We're discussing methods of breaking necks to reveal yet another literal murderer among us like it's just an average, everyday thing. There's so much wrong with this situation.

"So essentially what you're saying- or implying, I guess- is that she might not have been hanged, but the rope was still used either way?" Sasaki looks weary; it's likely she's realized the same thing I have. "I really don't see how, can you explain?"

"The only other possible way: using it to drop her from the observation deck." Abe lifts his hands palms-up. "Think about it, doesn't that make the most sense given what we've already established?"

...No? Or at the very least, I'm not sure. "Can you elaborate on that a little more?" I ask, half-raising my hand. "I don't think I'm following your thought process."

"It seems simple enough to me," Saito cuts in smoothly. "He's saying that her knee dislocation is tied to how she died in that she was suspended before being dropped to the ground, correct?"

He tilts a hand back and forth. "More or less. If she were held somehow by her leg, her knee may have dislocated before her neck was broken is essentially what I thought."

Nakamura nods thoughtfully. "That would also explain why there weren't injuries other than her knee if she was dropped just so."

Those three words echo in my mind as Yoshida takes a shuddering breath. She's been oddly silent. "'Dropped just so' makes it seem like you think they knew what they were doing, right?" she checks as her eyes darken. "Who are we dealing with here?"

The big ticket question. Is it possible that one of the secrets points to a person of interest, and that someone is hiding that information? I think back; I'm obviously out, but we've heard Sasaki and Aoyama's secrets. I have Yoshida's and Saito had Oshiro's, so it can't be theirs. That leaves Abe, Nakamura, Saito, and Yasu. I want to believe that none of their secrets are bad. I want to believe that I can fully trust them. But after seeing Yoshida's for myself and that tiny seed of distrust, I'm not sure I can be sure. It's just like Abe said: I don't know who I can trust.

"Whoever it is will be stopped," Sasaki assures Yoshida, though she doesn't sound convinced herself. There's a certain waver to her voice. "We just need to put everything together. Somehow."

Given her trepidation, nobody seems to be reassured. "Here's what we know," I assess, biting the inside of my cheek as I organize my thoughts. "Oshiro's secret apparently wasn't worth killing over; there had to have been a murder weapon of some sort; the duct tape was probably used to keep her from screaming; and most likely she was suspended, probably by her leg, before being dropped. Am I missing anything?"

Yasu grips her podium lightly. "At this point, I'm not even sure. We still need to hear alibis, figure out where the rope went if the one in the storage room wasn't used." He frowns. "Could it have been something other than rope? Like how Ikeda- well y'know."

"It's possible, but not probable. The fabric of her leggings was rubbed by something and I can't think of anything other than rope." Abe thinks for a moment. If I'm not mistaken, a look of realization flashes briefly across his face.

"If it helps," I say after a second, "I think the being-dropped theory has more merit to it than we thought. While I was on the observation deck, there was definitely damage done to a couple of the supports on the railing, like some weight had suddenly been applied. There was a bit of paint rubbed off, too, so whatever it was was tied around it."

Abe blinks, and I know he's wondering why I didn't bring it up before. "Definitely rope, then, I don't know what else could've done that that we have available to us. In any case, let's move on to the alibis."

"I was in the dining hall reading," I supply. "I think it was a little after noon when Saito came in? Lunch time, anyway. I don't think there was anyone in the room with me at the time of death."

Yasu goes next, pulling us in a circle pattern. "I was wandering the upper floors until I ran into Sasaki. We-" He shoots Sasaki a small look. "We talked about some things while we wandered, and when we wandered into the lab…"

Right. That's when they found her. "Before I ran into Yasu, I was in the teacher's lounge, checking on the common broom. Which, somehow, is growing steadily even though it hasn't been watered to my knowledge." She seems more concerned about that fact than she's letting on; she's practically fighting to keep a neutral expression.

"After the dining hall, I was wandering to try finding Yoshida and Oshiro to apologize for what occurred at breakfast," Saito says easily. "I could not find either of them, so I went to my room."

"Yoshida and I were in the rec room, actually, playing checkers."

Aoyama doesn't look at any of us. "I was in the library."

"I was with Nakamura," Yoshida confirms. "Totally creamed him, too." She sticks her tongue out at him, a fragment of her usual self, before sobering up again. "I would've been with Amaya, but she said she wanted some time alone, so I gave her that time."

"I was the first to find her," Abe says. "The body discovery announcement played after Yasu and Sasaki came in. Given that the rule is that it plays after three people find the body for the first time, it's safe to say the killer is not Sasaki, Yasu, or myself."

Not to mention, Aoyama, Saito and I are the only ones without solid alibis. "I'm not sure if this is relevant or not," Nakamura breaks in, "but we know whose secrets Saito and Aoyama have. Ishikawa, Whose do you have?"

I admittedly did not expect that. "I, ah, have Yoshida's." Her eyes darken again, and narrow just enough for me to notice. "It's not anything really bad or something like that, just...something I'm sure she wouldn't want anyone to know."

Yoshida seems relieved by that, but only for a second before skepticism overtakes her again. "How can we find out which one of them did it?" she asks the room, no longer looking me in the eye. "It has to be one of them, right?"

All of the sudden, I can get a read on Abe. He already knows. Maybe he knew when the trial began. I catch his eye and he shakes his head. He won't say anything, at least not for now. We need to figure this out for ourselves.

"Maybe if we take another look at the evidence?" Yasu suggests after a second. "Um, how about the duct tape?"

"We found the use for it, and that it came from the roll," Sasaki recites. "And that was in neat condition."

Neat condition… Aoyama found that on the shelf where it had been before. "Is it possible that the killer cleaned up more than the other blackeneds did?" I ask. "I mean, the used tape was in the trash, and assuming the rope from the storage was used, they could've put it back so we'd think it wasn't. Like hiding it in plain sight." My eyes widen as I think about what I'm saying. My god, I think I know who killed Oshiro.

How can I prove it? Or even breach the topic? I meet Abe's eyes once more, pleading with him. I need help in this. I'm one of the main suspects right now; I'm not sure if everyone would even believe me.

"Saito's the killer," he says matter-of-factly. Not the route I would've gone with, but beggars can't be choosers. The looks of shock on everyone's faces would be almost amusing if we weren't accusing someone of murder.

"I don't believe I understand," Saito says, her voice cool and collected. Her stance hasn't changed much this entire time. I study her closely, trying to see if she's displaying the tells the other killers exhibited. From what I can see, she's not, not yet. "How, exactly, am I the killer?"

"I'm a bit lost, too," Yasu admits, playing with his bracelet again.

Abe nods at me, directing their attention my way. I guess his work is done. "Well, mostly, I realized it because of the state of the crime scene. It was more or less completely devoid of clues, like someone had meticulously gone through and replaced everything that had been used as though nobody other than Oshiro was ever there."

Her eyes narrow just a touch. "I still don't see why you believe I had anything to do with this."

"You told me yourself- you told a lot of us- that you prefer everything to be neat and tidy, with tasks done on a schedule. It could've just been your instinct to be neat, but the strip of tape was in the trash, and the rope looked like it hadn't been touched at all. If it were any one of us, at least one of those things would've been completely forgotten about."

She shakes her head slowly. "I highly doubt that's enough to convince everyone. It has nothing to do with my neatness and everything to do with the blackened trying to get rid of clues."

I mean, she's not wrong, but Abe smirks even as his eyes remain dull, near emotionless. "Funny story. A while ago, a decade, probably, I saw a story on the news about a man who had been put in jail for the murders of multiple people. One of the calling cards of sorts was the near complete lack of evidence; he had wiped everything that he had used of his fingerprints and had put it away in a way that never tipped off investigators."

"So you're saying she's a copycat killer?" Yoshida asks, much less angry as this accusation than I expected her to be. She's probably drained by all of this.

"Close. I'm saying this." From his jacket's inner pocket, he produces a slip of paper. Saito's nostrils flare at the sight of it, but otherwise she remains composed. He turns it out to show us Monokuma's lowercase print staring us in the face.

_saito kagami's father is a convicted killer_

Of all the secrets she could've had, I was not expecting anything near that. Sasaki lets out a sharp gasp, a hand flying up to cover her mouth. Beside me, Yasu is frozen, his eyes wide in fear and apprehension. "I am nothing like him," comes her strained, near emotionless response. "I will never be anything like him."

Looks like that secret hit a nerve. I frown. "Saito-"

"No. It wasn't- me-" Her hands migrate from groping for her necklace, still not there, to her hair, trying to find strays from her bun. Her eyes are wide, wider than I've ever seen them. Almost terrified. "You can't tie me to the crime scene."

We can, I realize, looking at her bare neck. "Saito, listen."

"I'm not him."

"While I was on the observation deck-"

She starts to claw at her bun, pulling bobby pins half-out. "I will _never_ be him."

I almost feel bad for her, but I need to continue. "I found a small length of silver chain."

"I didn't do anything wrong!"

"It's just like the one from your necklace."

Locks of hair are ripped from her bun, falling to frame her face haphazardly. I've never seen her so unkempt. "You can't prove anything!"

"Saito… You wear your necklace every day. Where is it?" As if on instinct, her hand flies to her throat. "I thought at first you'd forgotten it; you didn't have it on when we were in the dining hall earlier. The chain broke while you were in the lab, maybe while you were cleaning evidence. You must've picked up most of it; the length I found was barely a centimeter long. Either way, it pins you to the scene of the crime."

For a moment, she's silent. Then her shoulders start trembling, she starts to tug at her hair until the band is out and it's all fallen in a mass around her shoulders. "I. Am. Not. Like. Him." Over and over she repeats this. I don't think she cares, or even knows, that we're listening.

"Being neat is a way for you to be in control," Yasu realizes slowly. "Because you couldn't control what your dad did. Everything is how you need it to be."

Saito, still shuddering, lifts her head. "None of you know what it's like," she nearly growls. Her eyes are wild and wet, flitting from person to person. "None of you know what it's like to live with a killer. To grow up admiring them, being compared to them. To have someone you care about ripped away from you. To go from being strong to being pitied because of something you didn't do and had no control over. To have the rug yanked out from under you." She looks away from all of us, halfway over her shoulder at the wall. "Ishikawa."

I nod, already understanding what she wants me to do. I need to wrap this up. "All of this, as we now know, boils down to control. As soon as the motive was revealed, the secrets given out, all the blackened wanted was to gain back the control Monokuma stole from them. To do that, they had to kill.

"They knew how they were going to do it, something that could easily be pinned on anyone and required little technical skill: a broken neck. All they had to do was lure the victim to the lab; easy, since they had Oshiro's secret. They may not have even needed to do that, since Oshiro was alone, but under the false pretense, they met up with her and put their plan in motion.

"It wasn't hard to render her unconscious; anyone with basic self-defense training would know to go for the neck. That was why she had a bruise, just forming. Once Oshiro was unconscious, the blackened covered her mouth with duct tape, just in case she woke up and started screaming for help. From there, since she was so small and light, it was easy to get her to the top of the observation deck.

"The blackened tied one end of the rope from the lab storage around Oshiro's leg, just under her knee, and the other around two of the bars on the deck. From there, they dropped her over the rail and off of the edge, the weight of the drop dislocating her knee and bending the bars while still leaving her suspended upside-down.

"The pain from her knee likely jolted Oshiro awake, but it was already too late for her to be saved. The blackened untied the rope, leaving Oshiro to fall the rest of the way, breaking her neck. Once that was done, the blackened began cleaning the scene, exerting their control once more, and returned to the dining hall, where they conversed with me as though nothing had happened at all. They were unaware that damning evidence had been left behind: a bit of necklace chain, pointing decisively to the blackened, Saito Kagami, the Super High-School Level Archer!"

She's still shuddering, hugging herself tightly like she's in the middle of an ice storm, but surprisingly calm. "...Abe. You knew from the start. How."

He inhales slowly. I have a feeling she isn't going to like this. "This case has the same circumstances and cause of death as the one that unraveled your father's string of crimes."

Saito drops to her knees instantly, tearing holes in her stockings. A choked sob escapes past her lips. "I'm- I'm not him!" she all but screams. "I'm not! So stop saying that I am!"

"Hate to break it to ya, but you're more like him than you think," Monokuma snickers. "So I hope y'all cast your votes correctly! I don't know how much more obvious this one can be made."

Numbly, I press the button for Saito. She doesn't move from the ground, even when the votes ring in as correct. Yoshida doesn't spare Saito a single glance. I note, however, that Saito did not vote at all.

Monokuma shoots her a glare. "You're lucky you're going to be executed anyway, rule breaker. Those of you who respect the rules and voted are, of course, correct!"

"Wait a minute!" Yasu gasps so suddenly that he scares me, almost making me jump back. "There's- there's still one piece of evidence we didn't go over!"

There is? I rack my brain, but I can't think of it. "Does it matter anymore? We got it right?" Nakamura says uneasily. His gaze is locked on Saito, next to him and still unresponsive.

"I don't know." Yasu goes silent for a second. "It might be? It's the paper Oshiro was holding. We never discussed its significance to the case."

I can't believe I forgot about something I thought might've been pivotal evidence. "Well, it said 'etsu' like Yoshida's first name. It could've been Yoshida's secret," Sasaki suggests with obvious hesitation.

I shake my head. "That can't be it, I have Yoshida's secret, remember?"

Slowly, all of our gazes fall onto Saito. Her sobs quiet, a small, strange smile gracing her lips. "I don't know what it said," she says in a disturbingly juvenile voice, "but there was definitely more paper in her hand when I left the crime scene!"

Wait. She has to be lying about that. Where would the rest of it have gone? "I think… It's okay to let it go," Yoshida says, a depressed sort of calm. She still doesn't look in Saito's general vicinity. "We're done here."

"Not quite yet!" Monokuma cackles. "Iiiiiit's PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!"

Saito begins to laugh, quiet at first, though her volume soon increases until it's raucous. "By the way, I lied. I read the secret! And he is not who he says he is!"

The moment before her execution starts, she points, steadily and clearly, at Abe.

Execution of the Super High-School Level Archer!

~Hangman's Gambit~

Saito is whisked off to the execution chamber, the same smile still on her face and her unhinged sort of laughter still ringing out. A noose is slipped over her neck and tightened loosely; the same happens to spare Monokumas on either side of her. The other end is attached to a girder.

Slowly, the girder starts to rise, tightening the nooses little by little. Monokuma shows up in front of the platform they all stand on in a poor excuse of a Robin Hood costume. One at a time, he draws arrows from his quiver and shoots the ropes attached to the Monokumas, freeing them. Saito can only hear this; her eyes are shut tight.

Monokuma takes steady aim for the rope that now has her straining on her tiptoes. Just as he lets the arrow fly, the girder shoots up, the arrow instead implanting itself squarely in her heart. In "anger," Monokuma snaps his bow in half and stomps on it, splintering the wood. There's not one of us who doesn't look sickened by this. But…

"What did she mean?" My eyes level with Abe's, my voice unintentionally devoid of emotion. "Abe, what did she mean?"

"She meant nothing." Even though that's what he says, I have a hard time believing him. His expression is guarded as it usually is.

He's lying to me.

I turn away from him as the PA clicks on again. "Heeeey! Can you- us?" I nearly have to cover my ears, the voice is so loud this time. The messages are definitely becoming clearer. "We're trying- don't give- hope!"

For once, when the transmission ends, Monokuma doesn't seem angry. Rather, he keeps his eyes on Abe, his expression blank. "I knew he reminded me of someone," I think I hear him mutter with obvious entertainment, like he's in on an inside joke.

For a minute, we all stand there, avoiding each other's eyes like the plague. "Let's just go," Nakamura eventually urges. "It's probably late and we all need the sleep."

I try my best, within my little confinement of space, to stay as far from Abe as possible. Even though the ride up is near silent, I can't hear what Yasu and Sasaki are talking about in the back corner. My hands play with the hem of my shirt as I work hard to avoid the glances Abe keeps throwing me. Even though she was a murderer, an accusation like Saito's is not nothing.

"I'm going to bed," Yoshida says softly as the elevator grinds to a stop.

Behind me, Yasu sighs quickly. "Wait, I'm sorry. Can we just- I need to tell you guys something."

We hang back, some of us including myself more reluctant than others. "What's this about?" Aoyama asks, more impatient than I've ever seen him. Is he still in a bad mood from what Yoshida said in the trial?

I rub my temples trying to quell my oncoming headache. "Actually, can this please wait for tomorrow?"

Something akin to hurt flashes in Yasu's eyes. I feel a little guilty already. "Yeah. I- yeah, it can wait."

"Good. Goodnight." I wrap my arms around my midsection as I walk off. I know that was rude of me, but I have a lot to think about already.

The first thing I do when I get to my room is cross off Saito's and Oshiro's names from my list. Then I edit.

Abe

Yes: knowledge, introduced mastermind, goes back on values, honestly kind of sketchy, somehow knew we broke rule, not who he says he is, lied to me

No: introduced rules for our benefit

This is ridiculous. There's no other word for it. I can't believe- he said I could trust him. I shouldn't have been so stupid. "You're a trusting person," Miyuki says, sitting on my bed cross-legged. "You couldn't help wanting to trust him."

"I was too eager," I mutter, loud enough for her to hear. "Too eager to have someone to trust after you. I let myself be taken in."

"All of you were," she agrees. "He's not who he says he is. None of you saw that before. It isn't just your fault."

I set my head down on my desk. "How could I have been so stupid? All the signs are right there. Miyuki, aren't you disappointed in me?"

She doesn't hesitate for a second. "In you? Never. You're doing your best."

Ha. My best. That's not good enough. I have to make this up to myself somehow.

The only question is: what can I do?

**X-X-X**

"..."

"...Everything's becoming clearer."

"But now we have even more to deal with."

"..."

"I don't think I can do this alone anymore."

"Hard for me to admit, but…"

"..."

"I don't know if I can get through the rest of this unscathed."

SURVIVING STUDENTS: 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^)
> 
> Only one of yall and my mom were the only ones who guessed this! And then there's Abe...hoo boy do I like being evil >;3


	19. Chapter 5 Part I

I take as much time as I can to get ready in the morning, drawing out my actions until I can't stand it. With Saito gone, I know that I'll be alone with Abe for at least twenty awkward minutes if I get there at my usual time. At least if I stall long enough, I could have Sasaki or Nakamura as a possible buffer.

Someone knocks on my door after fifteen minutes of me wasting time. I check my clock just in case; it's probably not Abe. Even if it is, I can always shut the door on him. He's a beanpole. I'm not that strong, but I'm definitely stronger than him.

To my pleasure, though, it's not him. "Good, you're still here." Yoshida fidgets a little outside of my room. "Can I come in?"

My stomach clenches. I try to dismiss it, I do, but I can't trust anyone easily. I keep learning that the hard way. "Sure," I say after a second passes. Just in case, though, I keep my door open a crack so someone will hear me if I scream. "How are you feeling after all of that?"

She shrugs, the motion somewhat more muted and tired than it normally is on her. "Probably marginally better than you did after Ueda's trial. Amaya and I weren't dating, but she was a really good friend, y'know?"

"Yeah." It's nearly a mirror of the second case, with Yoshida in my place and Oshiro in Miyuki's. But at least Yoshida had the opportunity to live with Oshiro longer, get to know her better. I blink as I notice her staring at me. "Sorry, did you need…?"

"Right. I, uh…" She gestures to her barely brushed curls and I, being ever-observant, finally notice that she's holding her hairbrush and a couple of hair ties. "Amaya did this for me after I hurt my wrist. I didn't really want to ask anyone else to help me with this."

The way she said "help" makes me wonder how often she asked for help with other stuff before coming here. Probably not often. "Sure, take a seat." She sits, almost perches, on the edge of my bed. I'm half beside her and half behind, my legs tucked under me. Surprisingly, her curls aren't as tangled as they appear, maybe because of her half-attempt. The brush goes through them easily. "This is probably a question you're tired of, but is your wrist feeling any better?"

She doesn't answer right away like she did before. "Kinda? But I can't tell if that's because it's healing or if I'm getting used to the pain." She hands me a hair tie when I reach for it. "Like, with my luck, the bone is healing wrong and it'll need to be rebroken for it to heal properly."

I glance down at her, tying off one of her pigtails and moving around to start on the next. "Is that why you're still using that sling? I don't know much about broken bones, but I didn't think you'd still have to use it."

"Yeah. It probably doesn't even help anything, but I don't want to risk it by moving my wrist around all the time. I probably would've accidentally slammed it into something by now otherwise." She falls silent for another moment. The only sound in the room is our breathing and the odd sound the hairbrush makes. "Can I ask what my secret was?"

I keep myself from freezing up. The paper had vanished when I woke up, and most of the secrets had been spilled anyway, so there probably isn't any harm in me telling her. "It said you were suspended for beating up one of your classmates."

Recognition shows in her posture as I tie off the other pigtail. "Wow, that's it? That douchecanoe deserved it, he wouldn't leave this girl alone and kept getting way too close for her comfort, she kept trying to tell him to back off. Jackass had the nerve to say that I attacked him unprovoked, and the girl was too scared to say anything, so suspension." She shakes her head, smiling slightly as her fresh pigtails bounce. "Thanks for doing my hair. And not telling anyone my secret. I know it doesn't look great."

"No problem." I stand and brush stray hairs off of my clothes. "Let's get some breakfast."

I wait for Yoshida as she chucks her hairbrush back into her room, which she kept open, before locking the door. "What do you think Yasu wanted to tell us last night? He sounded pretty serious."

I feel bad that I cut him off because of that. Obviously it's something serious, or at least important to him, otherwise he wouldn't have asked us to stay back. I should probably apologize as soon as I can.

"There you two are!" Nakamura says when we enter. It's pathetically easy for me to do a headcount now. If we don't stop this game, I'll be able to count us all on one hand. "We were wondering."

I shrug with only one of my shoulders, eyeing my normal seat next to Abe. I feel his eyes linger on me as I take Fujimoto's old seat on the other side of Miyuki's. "Just a small hold-up. We're good now."

"If it's okay, then, Yasu still has something she wants to talk about," Sasaki says, one of the more authoritative of us now. She nods to Yasu.

"Right. Sorry about cutting you off last night," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. "That wasn't cool of me at all and I really have no excuse."

"It's alright." Yasu manages a weak smile. She seems nervous about this. "I didn't want to tell anyone since it's not the most fun thing to share, but because of the secrets and my fainting after the starvation motive, I think you all should know." I don't even know what this could be about, but given the grave look on her face, it can't be anything good.

Still, she doesn't say anything for a moment, leaving us in silence. "Well? Are you going to just sit there?" Aoyama grouches, leaning his chair back on two legs.

She shoots him a quick, frustrated look. "I'm getting there." I try to get a read on her. Other than the obvious, I can't tell what's going on. "The reason I passed out the other day was only partially because of the starvation motive. I have a heart condition, and my medication is supposed to be taken with food, so it got a little messed-up along with the starvation motive. I still have plenty of it left, though, so this is kinda me saying not to worry? I guess?"

Sasaki, naturally, is the only one of us who doesn't look surprised. "Are you feeling okay now?" Nakamura asks still, concern etched in his features despite her telling us not to worry.

"I am. I have it under control, but sometimes it'll make my chest hurt, or my pulse all fluttery… My mom is very protective of me because of it, she always has been, so it's a habit of mine to not do anything risky, just in case." She shrugs, trying to appear unbothered. "So my knowledge of medical stuff comes from going to a lot of doctor's appointments and reading when I wasn't doing anything else. I'm sorry for hiding it from you all, it's just that usually when I tell people, they start treating me like I'm fragile, or they pity me, and I really really hate that."

I blink a few times, processing this. It explains why she sometimes looked in pain, like at Matsumoto's discovery and after the trial, and why she didn't play basketball or come to the bath with us. It especially explains why she looked so sickly so fast during the starvation motive. And her reasoning is completely understandable; I would hate being treated like I'm fragile, too.

I'm aware after a second that we're all still silent. Yasu's gaze flits anxiously between us all, waiting for someone to break the silence. Yoshida's the first one to actually respond. "Well, I'm glad you told us, because now you won't have to go through the trouble of hiding it. And you know us, there's no pity here."

"And if you do need anything, we're here for that, too, as I assume Sasaki was this entire time," Nakamura continues, the faintest of understanding smiles on his lips. "So we're all good."

Yasu's own tentative smile grows. She looks completely relaxed, like she just released a breath she'd been holding this entire time. "Now that that's taken care of, we have something else we need to discuss," Sasaki urges gently. Her eyes slide over to Abe, appearing almost steel cold. "Do we or don't we take Saito's word?"

My mood takes a nosedive almost as soon as she says that. I have to believe what Saito said, don't I? I saw Abe's reaction to it. He was definitely lying to me. "What she said," Abe says steadily, slowly, "is not true. I've been nothing but helpful; I've been no one but myself. That's all."

Even though I definitely don't want to, I can't help but peek over at him for just a moment. Today the bags under his eyes are sloppily and poorly covered with makeup. For once, I cannot bring myself to care.

"In the end, does it even matter?" I think for a moment that it's Aoyama who's talking, since that sounds like something he would say. Instead, I look to see Monokuma wriggling his way onto Saito's empty chair. "I mean, isn't surviving more important that some itty-bitty secret?"

I lean back a bit, slouching. "Let me guess, you have a new floor for us?"

He turns his gaze on me, less menacing that I used to think it was. "On the nose, Red! So, unless you want to be punished for breaking the rules…"

We all groan and complain as we get up, leaving Monokuma behind to begin the long trek upstairs. Small, isolated conversations break out as usual, but I don't listen in or participate. I get caught in my own head again, wondering what'll be waiting for us. Obviously no exit, but are we going to get more clues towards the mastermind's identity? When we finally reach the fifth floor after what feels like ten minutes of walking, I can tell instantly that there aren't many rooms. This hall feels so much more bare than any of the others.

Just like the other floors, there are two classrooms right to our left. "Split up?" Sasaki asks, gauging our reactions. There's only so much that could be hidden in them, especially if they're still carbon copies, so why not? I move towards her, Yasu, and Yoshida, leaving the guys to handle the classroom nearest to the stairs.

Like I thought it would be, this classroom looks exactly the same as the others. We've investigated so many, it feels like we're only going through the motions of an actual investigation, not actually looking for something. There's nothing on, in, or under the many desks littering the room, nothing in the trash, no writing on the blackboard…

"Wait, hold on." Yoshida tugs at one of the drawers in the teacher's desk. After a second, she frowns down at it. "I think it's stuck." She smacks it with her palm before trying to wiggle it open again. With a yank it comes loose, almost coming completely out of the desk. "I think...files? Maybe?"

I come closer and peek over her shoulder. The folder sitting in the drawer is completely spotless, no tears or anything despite the force she just used. I'd say that's pretty lucky. "What are the odds?" I mutter, taking the folder out of the drawer. I look to Sasaki and Yasu. "What should we do with them? Do we look now?"

"Let's wait and finish investigating the rest of the floor first," Yasu suggests, and Sasaki nods. I look at the folder again- who knows how much information it holds?- before letting my hand fall to my side. I'll hold onto the folder until we're ready.

We finish up the rest of the room easily; we didn't have much more to look at or for. Unsurprisingly, the boys are already waiting for us in the hall. Abe's eyes go immediately to the folder. I pretend not to notice. "Which way next?" Yasu asks, inadvertently helping me from this situation. "Left or right?"

"Left," Nakamura decides when nobody else does. Not like it's a huge debate, anyway. We'll get around to everywhere eventually, we don't have a time limit. He leads us on until we reach the next door, opening into a room with bright sakura and targets on the far side of the room. "Whoa."

Whoa is right. This room seems so unlike the others in a refined sort of way. Lockers line the right wall; sparring equipment and dummies are found on the other. When I open one of the lockers, I find I compact bow and a quiver of arrows. Saito would've spent a lot of time here.

The other lockers hold little other than archery, kendo, and other martial art equipment. There's nothing like the folder we found, no clues whatsoever. "Everything seems to be in order," Yasu says in a light tone, obviously forced. She looks between me and Abe, then Aoyama and Yoshida. The two of them have been avoiding each other, so only Yasu, Sasaki, and Nakamura have no rifts between anyone.

That alone makes me guilty for not putting the group before my personal feelings. I can be mature and treat Abe with civility in order to promote our collective wellbeing. Being mature is something that I honestly should've considered earlier. I can't exactly say the same for Aoyama and Yoshida, however; they keep shooting glares at each other. "I think that's everything in here." The most this dojo provides us is an abundance of new murder weapons. No, thank you. It would be better to block off this entire room.

Right across the hall is the next room for us to hit, a garden if the sign outside is correct. Sasaki perks up a little at it, curiosity evident in her stance. She'll really be in her element. "Maybe this'll bring us back to normal," she mutters, barely loud enough to hear. She pushes the door open, only for a rank smell to hit us.

Her face falls, but she enters so we can come in behind her. Very few plants are alive, at least that I can tell. The whole place smells like compost and rotting plants. What once were vibrant flowers are now wilted, adding to the odor. These were not well taken care of at all. "How awful," Yoshida mumbles, kneeling by what I think were once tulips. She looks up at Sasaki. "Can any of these be saved?"

Sasaki walks slowly around a few plots, scrutinizing them. "I'm not sure? Some of them might be able to be saved, but I'm an herbalist, not a botanist. Unless I'm familiar with the species, I won't know how." She kneels down, her fingers brushing the soil. "It's like dust. These have been ignored for a long time without water."

"Ah, that would be my fault." Monokuma walks out from the bushes, brushing some stray twigs off of himself. He stops in front of us. "Y'see, the sprinklers broke, and it's not like we have a Super High-School Level Mechanic or anything here. Not like these were important to begin with. A lot of them weren't even deadly!" He shrugs.

"And you couldn't just come up here and water them yourself?" Aoyama asked, and for once I applaud that his snarkiness is directed to the right person. Er, bear. No, person, because mastermind. Am I thinking about that right?

"Believe you me, I have much better things to do." Monokuma waves a paw in the air vaguely before stomping off, through a different bush. I'm pretty sure there's no exit other than the one we came through. If he'd done that back before anyone died, I would've questioned it. I know better than to waste my time now.

We begin to break off from each other, searching the perimeter. There's an abandoned chicken coop; there's nothing inside, not even hay or feathers. I guess there's a little dust and dirt, but nothing that suggests there were chickens there in a while. I wander between rotted plots to a tool shed, the only other structure here that isn't wilted. The door is wooden, so I open it carefully to avoid splinters.

...I don't know what many of these tools are. The lawnmower I know, obviously, and a hammer, some gardening gloves, things like that. Some of the tools look dangerous, but most of them just look old and rusted, like they've been here forever.

"Did you see this?" I didn't even notice Abe enter, but I'd left the door open. He lightly touches what I'm about ninety percent sure is a pickaxe. "Crazy Diamonds."

"What?" I can see that clearly written on the handle, but I have no idea what it could possibly mean apart from a brand name. I come just a little closer, and I can see that it's actually painted on, not like a label.

Abe blinks over at me, his eyes a mixture of disbelief and… Is that sadness? What kind of reaction is that? "They're the largest biker gang in Japan. Does that not ring a bell?"

Instinctively, I stiffen at his tone. "I've barely been in Japan my entire life, how would that ring a bell?" I rake my fingers through my hair. I know he didn't mean anything by it. I'm just so much more on edge with him. Remember, civility. It shouldn't be that hard. I sigh mutedly. "Sorry. No, it doesn't ring a bell."

He nods once and keeps poking around, though there's not much in here other than the tools. If this shed were outside, it would probably be really stuffy and hot in here, but there's no difference between inside the shed and outside. Once we're done looking through everything, we go back to the main area, where everyone's waiting. We move onto the final classroom soon after.

This one… There's an ominous sort of feeling that I can't quite place about it. It looks just like all of the other classrooms, and with all seven of us here, we search it quickly. There's nothing here that could serve as a clue, unless the absence of a clue is a clue in and of itself. Thinking of that, I probably should've added Saito's neatness to her column on my list. I'm sure that doesn't matter now; there's no way someone dead can be the mastermind, especially not since we saw her death ourselves.

We leave the classroom as soon as we can because of that awful feeling. With it cleared, there's only one other place we can go. It's at the very end of the hall, and it feels like it takes us at least five minutes to get all the way there; the hallway is ridiculously long. And when we're finally there…

"It's locked." Aoyama tries fiddling with the door handle more, but it doesn't give. His hand drops to his side. "Great."

"So in the end, we only have these files." I look down at them, turning the folder over. I'm honestly surprised we have these to begin with. "We're up here anyway, let's just look at them before going back down." I feel everyone's eyes on me as I sit, leaning against the wall and adjusting my skirt. Yoshida and Yasu follow suit first, then everyone else, making us into a small circle.

The folder itself, as I noted before, is intact, no labels or ink anywhere to be found. Just a regular, nondescript manila file folder. The first paper is clearly titled "Hope's Peak Student Registry." No picture, no little blurb of introduction. It's just a cover sheet. I pass it to Aoyama on my left, sending it around the circle.

What follows the cover sheet are student profiles, but the names are blacked out, and as far as I can tell, the talents aren't even listed. Pictures, general information like what's on our e-Handbooks, and some other notes are all that's written. And it's not even about us; these are from Hope's Peak's Class Two, as written in the corner. We're supposed to be Class Four. I don't recognize anyone from the information that's given, though I''m not sure if that's because it's vague. After all, Hope's Peak students are famous for their talents. I should be able to recognize them, right?

As each profile passes from my hand into someone else's, we eventually dip into Class Three's profiles. As I read, the pressure begins to build up in my head. These words, ultimately, mean nothing other than existing to cast doubt on our situation. Where are Class Three and Class Four? Where are the teachers and the other staff? I remember wondering that days ago, when I first woke up here. Why haven't I looked further about it?

Yoshida, directly to my right, falters with one of the Class Three profiles. "I feel like I've seen him before," she says, pointing to the document laid in front of her. I glance over at it; I don't recognize him at all. Just some regular kid with red hair. Doesn't look like he rings a bell for anyone else, either. She shrugs it off after studying it for another few seconds, shoving the paper into the pile accumulating between us. "Probably just saw him at the skate park or hospital or something."

On her other side, Abe stiffens just enough for me to notice. He probably knows something, like always. I really wouldn't be surprised if he were the mastermind stringing us all along. That would at least explain all of his knowledge and why he insists about lying about who he is.

There are more files beyond the Class Three profiles, in the very back of the folder. These I automatically recognize as ours thanks to our pictures… Except, there are Xs over the photos like there are on the portraits in the trial room. The shape of them is weird, different on each profile and almost matching the ones on the portraits. They're less lines and more...round? Somehow? And there are only nine files, one for each person who's died.

"These are photocopies," Aoyama says after a second, holding one of the files close to his face. He squints at it, his entire face scrunched up in concentration. "Definitely."

"How can you tell?" Yasu asks, trying to examine her own in the same way. It doesn't look like she gets anywhere.

"Around the internet, you start to be able to tell if stories or pictures have been altered or edited." He holds the profile so Hamasaki's picture faces us. He points to the X. "If you look closely, the X seems pixelated at the edges. If this were the original, it wouldn't be like that."

I peer closely at Fujimoto's profile. Just like Aoyama said, there are pixels on the edges of the X. "Where are the original copies, then? What's the use of using photocopies?"

Nobody has an answer for that, just as nobody asks what was used to make the Xs in the first place. We all must have suspicions given the odd shape. Let's just say it definitely isn't pen.

That's all that's in the folder. Once the profiles make their complete rounds, I gather up the pile and make sure the papers are all neat and orderly before putting them back inside. "What can we do with this information?" Sasaki asks, looking at us all one by one. "Is there anything here we can use to get out?"

I really don't think so. "We know that there's nine of us who died," I recite. "We know what the sixteen students of Class Two look like, and we know what the fifteen students of Class Three look like. Unlike our profiles, none of those had Xs marked on them."

"So, what? Are we inferring that those students are somehow still alive because of what our profiles are like?" Yoshida asks, playing with one of the tears in the knee of her jeans. It looks like it'll split open completely if she keeps tugging at it.

"It's impossible to read very far into this." Nakamura crosses his arms lightly, keeping his posture straight in a relaxed sort of way. "For all we know, the mastermind just did that to manipulate us. But it's at least plausible that Class Two and Class Three are still alive somewhere, right?"

It's a very small bit of hope to cling to, especially given that we don't know anyone in those classes. But if they're okay, really okay, then there must be someone out there trying to help us.

Although…

No. There's no way it's too late.

We'll be saved.

"I'll bring clocks up to the rooms here later," Yasu says, breaking our charged silence. "Before that, though, does anyone want to join me for lunch?"

I look down at my stomach, already clenching just a bit out of hunger. I might as well get something to eat; it's not like I had anything this morning. I apparently did not learn my lesson from the third motive.

In the end, it's only me, Yasu, and Nakamura who go to the dining hall. Sasaki stays upstairs, trying to look through the garden again to see if there's anything that could be salvaged. I trust the folder to her; she won't use it for anything bad. I don't think there's anything bad it can be used for. Abe and Aoyama go back to their rooms, both of them looking unhappy. Yoshida is in the rec room again, poking around at the games.

Yasu sighs into her glass of water. "This is too crazy. I keep feeling like we're trapped inside of a nightmare." She runs her fingers through her short curls. Even after deaths, after trials, I'm not sure I've ever seen her so morose. On the other hand, I agree completely. She looks up at me and Nakamura and smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, let's change the subject. We don't need to dwell on anything bad."

Nakamura nods, sticking a plastic fork into his cup noodles (yuck) and twirling it around. "What do you want to talk about, then?"

"Anything we can think of, I guess." She tilts her head slightly, thinking. "Actually, you've done a lot. Have you traveled before?" He nods again. "Where's your favorite place to go?"

I remember her asking me this before. Now that I know about her health, I think I understand why her family never really traveled much before. Nakamura takes a moment to consider his response. "Personally, I like Italy. It has such a rich history, beautiful landscapes, and great food."

"Great language, too." The gears shift in my mind until they click, and I perk up. "I could teach you both a little Italian if you want." When it comes to languages, I like to think that I'm a good teacher. Not that I've ever had many students, though. I haven't.

They both agree eagerly, to my delight, so we start right away. We spend a good bit of time learning Italian, long after we finish eating, though I know for certain the vocabulary won't stick long. They aren't immersed in the language, unless I feel like speaking solely in Italian, and we're not making flashcards, so retention would be a problem if they're serious about this. To be fair, though, this is definitely more of a way to pass time than something they legitimately want to learn right now, and that's fine, too.

We break up once Yasu remembers that she needs to bring clocks to the fifth floor. I end up returning to my room. Being here so long, there really isn't much I feel like doing anymore. It feels like we've found everything we could find, discussed everything we could discuss. I could read another book, find another game, but if I do, eventually there'll really be nothing left for me to do. If we remain trapped here, if no more murders occur, that'll happen to all of us.

...No, I can't let that happen. I'll get us out of here. I take my list out again and recheck everything. The next chance I get, I'll check over the profiles again. Even if my suspicions are right, if Abe really is the mastermind, I need to have actual, concrete evidence. Whoever it is covered their tracks well, at least by my standpoint. We've been given no clues about the academy, the outside, or the identity of the mastermind. We're completely in the dark, especially since there's no way to connect to the internet or the outside other than those transmissions. I'm still not sure what those are all about. I rack my brain, trying to remember everything that was said so I can write it down.

_"-ello? We- to h- try to- calm! We- back- more!"_

That one… It was so garbled the most I can possibly put together is "try to stay calm," which I assume the end of the second sentence was. Still, I can't be one hundred percent sure.

_"Ca- us? Get- out! Stay- are!"_

This one definitely carries mixed messages. "Get out" sounds like one part, but then the next sounds like "stay where you are." Which one should we listen to?

_"It's- okay! Almost- hang- right!"_ and _"-hear us? -calm- get out-"_

Both of these were part of the third trial, but from two different people. "It's going to be okay" was likely the first part, but again, it's hard to say. Maybe one part is "can you hear us," and then there's "get out" again at the end again, but I can't be sure if that was part of a longer phrase.

_"Heeeey! Can you- us? We're trying- don't give- hope!"_

Maybe "can you hear us?" and "don't give up hope," but the middle part is impossible to fully decipher. It might not even be what those voices meant; none of this could be. There could be missing words, missing context, intonation, anything. It's like an incomplete translation, where some words are dropped and the overall meaning is mixed up. I hate it so much.

So I count again. Backwards from ten, ten different languages. My breathing steadies again once I finish. I need to clear my head more longer-term than that.

I choose a book from one of the stacks on my table, a collection of Ukrainian stories. Always interesting and easy to get lost in, and that's exactly what I need. I force myself up and out of my room with the book in order to give myself a slight change of scenery. Who knows? It could do me some good.

So who else is in the library but Abe. His back is to me and I could very well back out of the room without him seeing me, but… I don't know. Maybe he'll end up saying something I can use.

I take a seat nestled in between piles of books even though there's a perfectly good chair by the desk. Abe notices this right away; I'm in his peripheral vision now. Still, he keeps doing what he's doing. "Come to interrogate me?"

"I came to read." I lift my book as proof, even though he isn't looking. "Unless you want me to interrogate you?"

He doesn't answer. He keeps looking at the shelves, scanning the titles. I crack open my book, only half paying attention to the words and the stories. So much for a distraction. Eventually, he sighs. "You know that I'm not a bad person, right?"

"I don't know that. For all I know, you could've killed people before." I don't miss his flinch even though my tone is light and airy. My words don't carry any real weight, but that was a very real response. I push it aside for a second. "You told me you trust me."

"I do." He doesn't skip a beat.

But I roll my eyes and turn the page to keep up appearances. "Obviously you don't, and I can't trust you now."

The frown in his voice is painfully evident, though neither of us is looking at the other. "If Saito hadn't said anything, you still would."

My mouth bunches. "I would've been foolish for doing so, apparently." A beat passes before I close my book and push it to the side. "You know I would've trusted you if you had told me yourself." Which is only half-true, and we both know it. "You have the opportunity to tell me what Saito meant right now. I would believe you." Another half-truth, this one more subtle. There's no use in denying that his secret, what Saito said, is true.

He sighs through his nose, keeping his back to me. There's something stiff in his shoulders. "I'm Abe Fumito. That's all."

Disappointing. I open my book in my lap again, choosing not to engage in further conversation. He goes back to whatever it is he's doing; it's honestly hard for me to tell.

I'm a few chapters in when he leaves. I don't know if this was a challenge of willpower to see who would stay longer, but if it was, I outlasted him. Strangely, I don't take any pleasure in that.

I don't move from my spot until my back starts aching about twenty minutes later. Stretching as I get up, I leave the library, but take a look down the hall towards the ice rink. "Skating always helps me think," Miyuki says from my side, looking in the same direction. "Maybe it'll help you think?"

I don't think at all as I head towards it, swiping my e-Handbook to enter the locker room. There's still winter clothes in here, likely untouched since the investigation. I don't hesitate as I shrug on one of the coats and progress further. I don't stop to think about what I'm doing until I have skates on and I'm on the ice, shaky but still standing.

The spot where Miyuki died is bare now, the ice not even tinged pink with faded blood. Even so, I stay on the other half of the rink as I skate in slow, uneven circles. "Try thinking out loud," Miyuki advises from the other side of the rink, her side, in her practice outfit now. Even her hair is tied back, her glasses exchanged for contacts. "That sometimes helps."

Right. Okay.

"There's going to be another motive tomorrow, that's the schedule."

One lap.

"And with Abe's secret, the motive will heighten paranoia more than it already is."

Another. I feel stupid.

"But I think we're all determined to not have any more deaths. Nine is too many."

Two more laps. I'm starting to get dizzy already. I don't know how Miyuki does all those fancy jumps and spins without getting dizzy.

"And there's still the mastermind to think about, if nobody else strikes they probably will."

I slow to a stop. Had I even considered that before? I forget. It's a really big "if," but not as much now that there are so few of us left. In fact, because of that, it's more of a threat now than it ever was before.

The thought fades as I skate a couple more laps in silence. That thought is one I refuse to entertain unless it's absolutely necessary.

The chill of the rink starts seeping through the coat I borrowed three or four laps later. I skate to the opening of the rink, stepping out carefully. The skates unlace easily, but I pause to organize the haphazard pile of them before leaving. I couldn't just leave them.

The clock in the locker room reads three-twenty, so I still have a lot of time left in the day. Might as well make some use of it.

I really haven't been getting too much exercise recently, apart from just now, so I decide to go upstairs, maybe poke around a little and see if I can figure anything more out. It's unlikely, but maybe there was something we missed on one of the upper floors In the teachers' lounge, still checking out the common broom plants, is Sasaki. I can't say I'm surprised to see her there. "You've been taking good care of the plants," I note, running my fingers along the rim of one of the clay pots. She nearly jumps at my entrance; she must not have heard me come in. "Oh, sorry-"

"No, no, you're fine." She takes a step back and puts her hands on her hips, studying the pots as a whole. "I mean, it's not me taking care of these. I think Monokuma or the mastermind still is, I haven't even watered them once. I couldn't care less if something actively endangering us dies."

I nod slowly, looking at the nearest pot. They still seem vibrant, alive. That's probably a bad thing for us if they can really kill us. "You've been taking good care of everyone here, though. You sure you're not a person caregiver?"

Sasaki laughs a little and shakes her head. "I really haven't been doing much there, either. I think what some of us just need is someone assertive and reliable- no offense. You've been doing great, too, better than I have."

Yeah, right, though I appreciate the sentiment. "I haven't been as reliable and assertive as you, but thanks. Um, do you need to be assertive with plants?"

That makes her laugh more in a good-natured way. She knows I'm joking. "No, but I do have younger siblings to be assertive with. That's part of why I took over the garden; my parents are a bit too busy for it since they're usually running around after them."

"So you helped with the garden and your siblings? That's a lot of work." I don't think I would be able to keep up with both; one would definitely fall to the wayside.

"Kind of. I am the default babysitter and plantsitter, but at least the plants always listened to me!" Her eyes glow at her own joke; she's definitely proud of it.

"Definitely a plus." I glance around the room and tap the table gently. "I guess I'll let you go then, didn't mean to distract you from whatever you were here for."

She nods once in acknowledgement, then shakes her head like she was distracted. She must be thinking about her family more. "Oh, you weren't, don't worry. I'm sure we'll talk later, though?"

I nod and take my leave, debating heading upstairs or downstairs. With all the stairs here, I'm almost surprised my knees haven't gotten sore. Eventually I decide to go downstairs; there's not much more time before I should get something to eat, so I might as well linger.

"Oh, Ishikawa! Just the person I wanted to see!" On the second floor again, I pause and wait for Nakamura to jog to catch up with me. He smiles, catching his breath. "Sorry. I just thought maybe now would be a good time to talk. We haven't really done too much of that."

Honestly, I guess I forgot that I hadn't talked to him one-on-one as much as everyone else. "Sure. I'm just heading downstairs." He nods and walks with me, the space around us quiet. "So… What exactly does being a charmer entail?"

He shrugs a shoulder. "I could ask the same about your talent, believe it or not, since it could cover a lot, but let's see." It becomes quiet again as he thinks. "Well, I did some modeling and minor acting when I was younger, and apparently I started to earn a reputation for my personality and being charming."

"Oh, I didn't know personalities could be talents. Uh- no offense." Shoot, why did I say that?

Still, he smiles and laughs. "None taken. Just look at Yasu's talent, though. Talent can stem from any part of a person, personality included."

I hop off the last step. "That's deep."

"Just doing my job." Jeez, his smile sure is, at least. He glances down the hall. "I assume you're going to get something to eat? I just ate, so I'll leave you to it."

"Oh, okay. Great talking to you." I watch him turn and head back upstairs. He really didn't have to walk me down here. That was nice of him.

Dinner is fairly quiet. We still haven't aligned our schedules, so our entries and exits are staggered. My dinner is very simple, a microwavable meal, though it leaves me craving something sweet, some kind of dessert.

Oreos.

There's still plenty in the storeroom; I think I'm the only one who's taken advantage of them so far. There's nowhere else for me to go once I grab them, so I put them in my room and go to the bathhouse.

Even though my hair is still dripping from washing myself first, I try to keep it from dragging in the water. It's short enough that I can't really tie it back, but it won't get wet unless my neck is halfway submerged. I sigh and do so anyway, the tips of my hair hovering just above the water. The warmth feels so nice, I never want to move. I shut my eyes for just a few seconds, savoring the feeling. With all of the stress from these last few days, I'm surprised I haven't been in here more often.

I watch the clock carefully once a little time passes so I can return to my room before nighttime hits. It's funny to think, now, of all the evenings I spent talking with friends, going out and staying out until nine at least. Here, I call it a day at seven. It makes me feel like an old lady.

It's eight o'clock by the time I've dried, changed, and returned to my room. I peel open the package of Oreos, biting into one and trying not to get any dark crumbs on my sheets.

I've had Oreos a lot. I've tried a lot of different flavors in a lot of different countries. I almost expect Miyuki's ghost or hallucination or whatever to show up and share them with me because of the significance they had that one night. She does not. I eat in silence.

Bells sound as I finish off my third and contemplate reaching for a fourth. It's barely been ten minutes, not even close to nighttime, but Monokuma appears on the monitor, drink and all. "Excuse me! Could all students gather in the gymnasium?"

My stomach clenches at the unexpectedness of this announcement. What is it about? Our motive should've be coming until tomorrow morning. Monokuma always stuck to that schedule. So what is this?

I'm one of the last few to arrive, though I don't run into anyone in the hall on my way. It looks like we're only waiting on Yoshida, who shows up half a minute later, already in her pajamas and her hair loose and knotted. "Cute," Aoyama comments, obviously sarcastic. She flips him off tiredly instead of verbally responding.

Monokuma pops up onstage, his fangs gleaming in the harsh light. "Thank you all for coming! I bet you're all wondering why I've asked you here tonight."

"Kinda, yeah." Nakamura looks tired but unbothered by this impromptu gathering. He's probably used to them.

"Right. Well, I'm pleased to announce that in a matter of days, all of you will no longer be living inside this fine academy!" He spreads his arms wide, once more presenting something nonphysical.

My jaw drops so hard my muscles hurt. There's no way he's serious about this. It's too good to be true. "You don't mean we can leave?" Sasaki asks, her face blank save for incredulity.

"I don't!" And it all comes crashing down. "Clean your ears, Overalls, that's not what I said at all!"

"You said we won't be living here." Abe's stance stiffens, his voice tight and controlled. "You don't mean to say you're going to kill us in a few days?"

It feels like my heart skips a beat. Of course that's what he meant, but- I didn't expect even someone like Monokuma to be so cruel!

"Yeppers, Blue! If nobody is killed in two days from now, boom! You're dead!" He cackles at our stricken expressions. "Maybe this time limit will get you off your asses, because everyone involved in this killing game is dead if nobody is killed."

Monokuma glares right at us...but there's something off about it. It's not focused on us. As subtly as I can, I follow his gaze right to the security camera above the gym doors.

So was that last part directed at us...or someone else? Maybe the voices, somehow? Does he know who they are?

He pops back off the stage, leaving us both horrified and terrified. "Two days," Yasu chokes out, her shoulders shaking. "Only two days."

It's just as I feared earlier. None of us have the will to kill, not when we've been forced to see so much death. The only one who may have killing intent is the mastermind, and the way Monokuma phrased his threat makes me wonder if the mastermind stands to lose more than they could gain.

"It's okay," Yoshida says, but her words are hollow. "We'll find the mastermind first. We'll turn this entire school inside out if we have to."

That would be a good idea if the last time we tried hadn't turned into a double murder. "The top two floors," Aoyama suggests after a second. His expression is grim, his eyes dark. "We only searched them once. There might be something we overlooked."

I guess I underestimated his survival instincts. He's starting to look more and more like the Aoyama I met on the first day, panicking and just a pinch more serious than condescending. "We'll start tomorrow," Nakamura agrees gravely. "Sleep well."

Easier said than done. I can't stomach any more Oreos tonight, so I shove them to the side when I return to my room and go to sleep early. Possible scenarios of all kinds project themselves on the backs of my eyelids whenever I close my eyes, but I force myself to keep them shut. Before the nighttime announcement can play, I've drifted off.

**X-X-X**

MONOKUMA THEATRE XVI

"Time moves in mysterious ways."

"Slow when you want it to move fast…"

"And fast the rest of the time."

"So why does everyone stress?"

"It'll give you more time if you wish it away!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you may already be putting the pieces together... I'd love to hear any theories yall have regarding this chapter and beyond! Also, no need to tell me who you want to see FTEs with; everyone will get one bc I say so, haha!


	20. Chapter 5 Part II

We have to hit the ground running the next morning, or else we're wasting time. Yoshida comes to my room again so I can do her hair, but neither of us stalls for long before we go to the dining hall. "Let's map this out," Sasaki says, producing the pad of paper and pencil from her room. She taps the tip of the pencil to the paper, leaving little marks. "It probably isn't worth it to recheck the classrooms.

"We should look where there are likely to be files hidden," Abe says confidently. With the new motive on our hands, nobody seems to be as hesitant around him as I think they should be. It looks like I'm the only one who remembers. "The teachers' lounge for sure, even the music room."

Sasaki writes those down. "There's the two locked rooms, too. We might be able to get into them now, or we can at least try." I try to think of where else any sort of file or clue could be, but I come up empty. We've more or less scoured the place. "So we'll start with those four rooms and then add on if we think of anything else." Sasaki tucks the pencil behind her ear as she stands. "Let's get moving."

I make sure to keep a close eye on Abe as we ascend the stairs. He's not doing anything actively threatening, but I still feel in my gut that I need to be absolutely sure. It's made a lot easier, since nobody's talking. I think we're all some blend of tired and determined.

The music room comes first, since it's closest. Abe goes into the piano bench and hands us each a stack of music to go through, since we checked everything except that. This step would've already been done, too, if we'd had the time to do this during our initial investigation. Anything could be tucked within the sheet music, creased with use.

I study each side of the music in my stack carefully, just in case anything worthwhile is written in the margins. "Do you think there could be a secret compartment in the piano?" Yoshida asks, eyeing the keys between pieces of music. "Like, you play a certain word from notes and it opens?"

"Word-wise, the longest one you can make with notes alone is 'cabbaged,' so there aren't very many options for a password. Even if it were a random series of notes, we would never be able to find it. I don't think there's a compartment to begin with, though." Abe doesn't lift his eyes once from his stack until he finishes. "There's nothing in mine."

Nakamura makes a small, almost amused noise. "I don't have anything about why we're here, but I have arrangements of songs by…" He checks the name again. "...Maizono Sayaka. Isn't she in an idol group?"

I don't listen to music very often, and if I do it's usually a local station, so I wouldn't know. "Yeah, I listen to her music all the time," Yasu says before a strange look crosses her face. "Is her group still performing? I can't remember the last time they released new music."

Silence. "I don't know," Aoyama admits. I'm pretty sure that's new for him. "It's been a while for sure. No news of them has come across my dash in a long time."

So kind of like the boy band on the poster in the girls' locker room. Having actually some knowledge of what Aoyama's talking about, I turn back to my stack. Only Aoyama and Nakamura finished. Another couple of minutes pass, but I find nothing. "Anything?" I ask once I finish, putting the sheet music back inside the bench.

"Nothing here." Sasaki puts her pile back as well. Within moments, everyone's answered and put the music back. She crosses off this room from our list and checks the next spot. "Should we check the teachers' lounge or the headmaster's office first, since they're right next to each other?"

"Headmaster's office," Nakamura answers after a second, "so we can search with less in our hands if it's still locked."

Good point. Nakamura's pretty good at decision making. We file out, silence still stretching out between us apart from a tune that Yasu hums under her breath. I'm sure it's one of Maizono's songs now that the group's been put in her head. It's actually quite catchy.

Abe pushes to the front once we arrive. This is the moment of truth, I guess, but it won't really affect us either way. It's not like anyone hides super secret information in a headmaster's office. I don't think we should expect it to open, though.

We collectively hold our breath as he tries the door. It doesn't give.

"So it's still possible that this is where Monokuma is being controlled from." Sasaki scratches her head with the pencil tip. "You know, I know I said I'm all for looking, but is it even possible for one of us to be the mastermind? Even though Monokuma's conversations have gotten shorter recently, and Saito said forever ago that his speech patterns and movements could've been inputted to form responses to us… I don't know, it just seems too advanced. It seems like it's impossible for one of us to be controlling him."

If I were an engineer, or the mastermind for that matter, I would be able to explain that. As of right now, I'm drawing a blank. "Advanced AI?" Abe supplies after a beat pauses. "If it's self-growing, it could learn about its surroundings and speak to us like a person. I've seen it before. Without it, Monokuma would just be a remote-control automaton." Something shifts in his posture. "I would almost prefer that."

"Let's discuss this later," I suggest after giving everyone a second to digest that. "We still have places we need to search."

Sasaki still seems uneasy about the matter, but she nods and follows us down the hall to the teachers' lounge. Of all of us, she's been in here the most. Even though I know I should be more wary of everyone, I trust her a good deal. She's a good leader, and she reminds me of what I would want an older sister to be.

She goes to the potted plants first, probably naturally drawn to them. "I really do think Monokuma or someone must be watering these," she muses, fingering one of the blossoms. "For them to be kept so healthy, especially compared to the garden."

She has a point with that; there's no sprinkler in here, and they look as bright and full as the first time we saw them days ago. I peer a little closer at the pot closest to me. It may be poisonous, but it's pretty, and- hold on. "Is that normal?" I ask, pointing to a broken stem.

"What? That's-" Sasaki frowns as she comes over, touching the stem lightly. "There was a blossom there last night. I don't understand."

That makes the others flock over to see for themselves. "Someone must already have a backup plan," Abe says, keeping near the back of our group. "That looks like a neat enough cut that they thought about what they were doing first."

Anxiety grows in the pit of my stomach again. "When did you check?" I ask, my mouth dry.

She opens her mouth and shuts it. "Before the motive was announced." That settles onto us like a dark fog. Again she goes to speak, but she shakes her head. "It's probably nothing. Just in case, we should be careful. Only eat something you prepare."

Right. We definitely needed to be distracted by that while we're in the middle of an important investigation. I can't deny that what Abe said is probably true; someone might have come here last night to take the blossom as a Plan B if the time starts running out on us. We can't deny that.

I blow out a breath, then turn to the file cabinets, opening them and taking out folder after folder to hand to the others. The drawers empty slowly, the contents passed back until I'm left with a stack of my own. They all appear the same, plain manila folders with a good amount of paper in each. Before, what Oshiro and Yoshida had looked through was bare of anything, but there hadn't been enough time for them to check every folder and every paper.

I settle myself by leaning against one of the tables. The first folder in my stack holds nothing but blank paper. Same with the second and third. It's incredibly boring, but maybe, just maybe, we'll find something. A small hope, but a hope all the same.

The fourth still only holds blank paper. The middle of the fifth folder holds something different: a slightly discolored paper that's folded, obviously set apart from the others. I set it to the side to look over once I'm done looking at the rest of the folders, just in case there's more. The sixth, seventh, and eighth folders don't have anything more than blank paper. I wonder vaguely if we'd be able to tell if there's invisible ink on there somewhere. I glance at the clock quickly before moving onto the final couple of folders. With how thorough we're being, looking for any stray pencil marks, we've already been here for a half hour.

Once I finish, I push the decoy folders aside so I can unfold the paper on the floor. Why the tables here aren't empty, I don't know. I kneel down next to it, studying it carefully. Unfolding it reveals a map, or more accurately, a floorplan. It's familiar, aided by the title "Hope's Peak Academy." "I have a map," I announce, shifting so there's more room for everyone else to look.

Aoyama blinks at it, pushing me aside just a little more so he can see it more closely. "That's not Hope's Peak. That's not where we are." He leans down and points to one of the rooms on the second floor's layout. "That's where the ice rink is, not a pool."

I squint down at it, analyzing the other floors. Most everything is the same as it really is, but there are a few differences. First is the existence of a laundry room on the first floor that doesn't exist, then a library archive, and…

I look over at Abe, trying to gauge his reaction. Didn't he say that he thought there should be something in the middle of this floor? According to this map, he would be right. But...there was no way for him to know that. And now that I think about it, he thought there would be an archive in the library, too, like what's on the map.

"It's probably just a draft of the architecture or something," Yasu says, writing it off. A few moments pass. "That's all it is. That explains why there are a few differences."

That's the only reasonable explanation, at least for the time being. Still, the way Abe studies this map as though it's familiar, what he said before… It isn't adding up, and I can't place a finger on why. He definitely knows something that we don't, that much I can tell and I already suspected it. Suspicion that had already taken root in my stomach grows more. I turn away once I can feel his blue eyes burning into me.

If I'm right, if he's the mastermind, I need to play my cards right with him. I need to be a non-threat. The mastermind- him- could strike at any minute, and I don't want to become a target.

"Is that it? Did nobody else find anything?" Yoshida wonders, standing. Nobody answers, as I expect. "So all we got out of this was a defective map. Great."

"We still have the locked bio lab," Sasaki reminds her as she crosses this room off the list. Everything about her is full of the cautious optimism she told me about that first week. It's the last location, and I'm positive that it's not going to provide us with much insight, given that I doubt we'll be able to get in. There's nothing wrong with a positive mindset, I guess.

The file folders get shoved roughly back into the cabinets. We've already spent a good portion of the day searching since we're going much slower than normal. With the time limit hanging over our heads, it's almost like we're wasting one of our last two days. I really, really hope we find something that makes this all worthwhile.

We climb up the final flight of stairs, and I feel like the air gets heavier once we collectively realize that this could be one of the last times we ever come up here. I try to banish that thought from my mind. It's… It's still too early to think that. We still have time.

As I feared, though, the bio lab is still locked. The door won't budge a bit, no matter how much we try. "We shouldn't have expected anything different," Nakamura says with a defeated sigh. "Monokuma has no reason to suddenly open these areas to us, not if this floor just opened. And I doubt he wants to give us any ammo against him."

"It was worth a try." Yasu touches her head lightly for a second. "Let's go back and eat, then we can decide what we want to do with the information we do have."

We didn't collect enough to really do anything. A map gives us nothing more than something else to speculate about. I do agree about eating, though; we took so long that it's nearly lunchtime.

We take turns going in and out of the kitchen; with the blossom missing, we take Sasaki's warning seriously, especially once she reminded us that it's poisonous. We only eat what we make for ourselves. I can tell that our nerves are much more suppressed once we're all sitting with our food.

"Someone should keep the map with them," Aoyama says once he's done eating, the first of us to finish. Either he didn't eat much, or he ate much faster than everyone else. The map currently sits in the center of the table, folded so we don't get any food on it.

"Who, you?" Yoshida deadpans, pushing her food around on her plate. Looks like she doesn't have much of an appetite. My eyes shift to my own food, only half-eaten.

Aoyama rolls his eyes, but in a completely genuine tone, amends, "No. Abe should."

Which sends a ripple of surprise through us all. "Me? After what Saito said?" Abe seems more dubious than anything at the sudden engagement and apparent trust.

"If I'm not mistaken, none of our talents are in any way related to maps of places or buildings except for yours," Aoyama points out. I hadn't considered that, but he's right. "So, yeah. Besides, what could you possibly do with a useless map even if you _are_ working against us?"

...Ah. His reasoning checks out. "Okay, then. I'll take it." Abe tugs the map toward him, keeping it folded up and putting it to the side. He remains seated despite being done eating himself. At this point, we're all mostly done eating, even if our plates aren't cleared. I don't know why we're still here.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Sasaki asks, twirling her pencil around in her fingers. She's been playing with it since we got back. Her eyes are turned toward the table, her shoulders slouched forward like she's one of the wilted flowers from the garden. "We haven't found the mastermind or any solid clues. I'm still not even convinced that the mastermind is one of us."

Whatever we do tomorrow, I sure hope it's worth spending our last day on. "Monokuma probably won't tell us anything if we ask, and there's nowhere else for us to look." Yasu shakes her head, her mouth pulled into a full scowl, which seems almost foreign on her face. "None of us are going to kill, so… We've lost."

We've lost? Everything she said is true; we have nothing that can help us out of the speculation stage. We already knew that, though, and that's no different than any other day we've had here. The motive, though, incredibly limits the number of actions we can take.

The air becomes heavy as we all fully realize that. "I'm going to go back to my room for a while," Yasu announces, pushing herself to her feet. "Ishikawa, I found a book you might like earlier, do you want to come get it?" Her tone is a forced sort of light.

"Oh. Okay." I follow her out of the dining hall to her room, wondering if that's really all. She wouldn't try anything, both because she's so nice and because she literally just announced where we'd be to everyone. If anything did happen to me, she'd be the first and only suspect. I watch her unlock the door and step inside, motioning for me to follow. "Is this really just about a book?"

She smiles at me, almost sheepish as she turns towards me. "Yes and no. I do have a book for you, but also… How should I put this?" I wait as she considers her words, chewing on her bottom lip. "You need to make up with Abe."

My mouth opens and shuts a couple of times, like a fish gasping for air. "But-"

"He's not the mastermind. There's no way." She reaches out, gently grasping my wrists. Her hands are soft. "Look, there's a very good chance that everything is going to end tomorrow. Do you want to go out with bad blood when you have the option to make up?"

Her eyes are laced with both worry and understanding. As I consider, I exhale. Yasu's very empathetic, and she never has anything but good intentions in mind. "Fine. I'll try."

"That's all I ask." She lets go of my wrists, rubbing the back of her neck a little. "Let me find that book."

She roots around her desk, full of pictures of people smiling and laughing. I look around quickly; her room is full of pictures and little knickknacks. The only questionable thing in here is the shirt hanging over the security camera in the corner of the room. "What's that for"?

She follows my gaze. "Oh, I didn't like the idea of anyone watching me while I slept and changed, so I covered it. Doesn't break any rules since the camera is still functioning, so Monokuma has to grin and bear it." I groan inwardly at her likely intentional pun as she hands me the book. "Just try with Abe, alright?"

"Alright. Thanks for the book."

I turn to leave, but Yasu takes a breath. "You know, I really do feel close to you all."

"We are close, I think." I mean, I wouldn't really feel alright being in here with just her otherwise. I trust her because I know her.

She nods slowly. Looks like she has something on her mind. "I hate that this game is our reality, but I'm really glad I met you all, you know?"

I shift my weight carefully. "Come on, don't talk like that. We'll be fine." Which is mostly a lie, since the time limit is probably going to end our lives.

"Right. Keep our heads up."

We stand there in an awkward silence for a moment. Am I supposed to leave? "Um. Still, thank you. I've loved getting to know you. If we get outside, let's keep this up."

Yasu smiles brightly, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I'd like that. Thanks, Ishikawa."

I smile back and leave her room with the book still in my hand. I really hope we do manage to escape. I'd love hanging out with her more outside.

Lucky me, just the person I need is walking down the hall. "Hey, Abe!" I have to jog a little to catch up with him, but he slows down once I call his name. I have to take a moment to catch my breath. "Can we talk? I want to try to work together still. And. Apologize, I guess."

He looks me over, trying to pick me apart. I can't say I blame him, I guess I've been kind of hot-and-cold with him. "How do you mean?"

"Even just, I don't know, not be as hostile." I have to keep my promise to Yasu, after all, but I don't tell him that that's my reason. "For everyone, you know?" He doesn't say anything for a minute, and doesn't meet my eyes. I'm starting to get a bit antsy. "Please?"

Then he sighs, finally looking at me. "I wasn't going to say no, Ishikawa."

I blink in surprise. "You weren't?" What a relief.

"At the end of everything… I'm going to need everyone's trust. So no more hostility."

That… That was an odd choice of words for Mr. No-Trust. Something's up, but do I want to know…? "Good. Glad we agree. You can go back to what you were doing, sorry to hold you up."

He nods, but hesitates for a second. "You've been a good...friend." Then he turns and enters his room, leaving me with my jaw dropped. Did he really just call me his friend? Are we friends? I'm so confused. Has he considered us friends the whole time? Why didn't he tell me?

Ah, well, I'm overthinking everything, probably. Don't be weird about it. Be chill. Not that there's anything to be chill about, he's not even here. And it's hard to believe that after all this time, I still can't figure him out. But...yeah. I can trust him. I think. I nod to myself and return to my own room, putting my book on one of the large stacks.

There's still so much time before dinner, I mean, we just had lunch. I find myself wandering around, taking mental pictures of everything. It's so...odd that this will be the last place I am. Not even able to go anywhere I want.

I run my fingers through my hair, tugging at a couple knots. I'm not going to spend these last few hours being depressed. I need to find someone to talk to.

The only person I run into almost quickly is Aoyama, in the library. Funny that I've run into him in here before. "Hey," I say, grabbing his attention. He looks over from one of the bookshelves and nods. "Uh, so-"

"Are you really here for a conversation? Now?"

I blink at him. What's his deal this time? I've barely done anything! "If you're not going to be mean about it, yeah." I wait a second for him to say something else snarky. He doesn't; I'm free to proceed. "So your blog is really important to you, isn't it?"

"Gee what gave you that impression?" Even though I can't see it, I can just tell he's rolling his eyes at me.

I let out a long breath. Is it too much to ask to have one regular conversation with him? "Cut the sarcasm or I'm leaving. Please."

He looks over at me again, then sighs. "Fine. Yes, it's important to me. People listen to me on there."

"Don't people listen to you regularly? I mean, you're not exactly quiet." I mean it in a jokey way, but something in him stiffens just a touch at my words.

"Gee, I never would've thought of that. Thanks." I wait for him to say more. After a few seconds pass, he looks at me. "...Aren't you going to leave now?"

Was that his game? Annoying me enough that I leave? "If you really want me to, I will." I turn and wait for him to tell me to stop. I do a lot of waiting with him, don't I? He doesn't say anything, so I sigh mutedly and walk out. I'll find someone else to talk to.

I circle back around downstairs and go into the gym. There's usually someone in here, or there was when we had athletes in our midst. True to my prediction, Yoshida sits on the bleachers, picking at a thread from her shirt. She looks up when she hears my footsteps. "Oh, hi."

"Hey. Mind if I sit?" She shakes her head, and I sit next to her. I don't think I've sat on the bleachers before; they're not the most comfortable. The floor was better than this. "Want to talk for a bit?"

"Sure, what about?" I shrug. I didn't actually prepare for this or anything. "Hey, uh, sorry about being so pissy last time. About my friend, I mean. It's just-"

"No, I get it. Outside can be a touchy subject." Especially now of all times, now that we have practically no chance of survival.

Yoshida nods, still picking at the thread. "Yeah. I'm just worried about him. He's got as much bad luck as I do, just...different. But he's always optimistic."

For some reason, I can only picture him as a slightly shorter (or taller), male version of Yoshida with a bigger smile. "He sounds cool."

"Oh, he is." She starts to straighten up, getting really into the conversation. "He and I actually live pretty close-by, so he taught me how to skateboard and I taught him how to kiss."

I- okay? "Are you two together?"

She laughs, catching me off-guard. "God, no. I'm aro. I only taught him so he'd be a better boyfriend." She quiets after a second. "I hope he's keeping himself out of trouble."

"I'm sure he is, as much as he can." At least, I hope he is, for Yoshida's sake. We sit there for another few minutes before I stand. "I'm going to be in my room for a while, thanks for this."

"No problem." She smiles softly, I think the most gentle I've seen her. I almost feel bad for leaving her alone, but I do want to at least attempt to start the book Yasu gave me.

Instead, I end up pacing around my room. I feel a bit restless, even though I've done everything I could. There's nothing more for us to find, so there's nothing more for me to do but sit back. "It's not so bad," Miyuki says, watching me from the bed. "You might be lucky enough to have it end quickly."

I shudder, thoughts from the second trial flooding back to me. It must've been awful for her, bleeding out and freezing to death. "And there's really no way for us to escape this?"

She pauses. "...It's really not bad."

That's a no. I stop my pacing and look at her. "I'm serious about this. There has to be something I'm forgetting, right?"

"There might be, but I don't know what it would be." Miyuki shrugs, tugging at a strand of her hair. "It really isn't so bad, and then you'll be with me and everyone else again. Wouldn't that be better?"

I tear my gaze away from her. "Yeah. You're not real. Miyuki wouldn't say that."

"Sure I would." She pouts, standing and coming closer. She's freezing cold. "Come on, I promise it's better." She reaches out for me, but I recoil from her touch. This isn't her. No way. She sighs. "Fine. Do you want me to go, then?"

"No. Yes." Ugh, this again? Why can't I make up my freaking mind? I stalk out of my room and slam my door behind me, fast enough that there's no way she can follow me. Unless she can somehow just appear like she's been doing. I probably just need something to eat, that's all.

For once, we're all in the dining hall for dinner. The silence feels suffocating, tight around my throat. We all know what this could be, but none of us want to face that reality yet. Ideally, we would never.

"This is insane," Yoshida mutters after a minute of not eating. I guess she still doesn't have an appetite. "All of this. I'm sick and tired of my life being dictated by some bear."

"Don't do anything rash," Abe reminds her in a near monotone. "Like you tried to do before with Monokuma. It's a violation of the rules and it will get you killed."

She makes a frustrated noise. "Either way I'm gonna be dead! Why not just try to break out, rig an explosion or something so the rest of you can leave while he deals with me?"

The silence that follows isn't suffocating anymore; it's crushing. "Don't you dare," Yasu says, a scowl on her lips again. She stares Yoshida in the eyes straight-on, even though Yoshida tries to avoid it. "Don't you dare be the hero. That's never a good thing, and if we're not all going to get out together, we won't get out. You're not going to sacrifice yourself. Got it?"

"You have any other ideas, though?" Aoyama asks, glancing at Yoshida. "This could very well be the only way to avoid the deadline."

Hm. Deadline. The time we'll all die. I never noticed that before now, at least not in this context. Who could?

"See? Even King Douche over here agrees with me." Yoshida pushes back in her chair, making to stand before Yasu grabs her arm.

"No. I need you to promise me you aren't going to do this." Yasu's eyes are wide and pleading, and even though this is mostly just between her and Yoshida, the rest of us can't tear our eyes away. It's like a bad soap opera at this point. Except it's our lives.

Yoshida presses her lips together, her forehead scrunched up. I nearly hold my breath waiting for her to calm down. Eventually, she lets out a slow breath and sits down. "Fine." Yasu looks at her pointedly, and Yoshida rolls her eyes. "I promise I'm not going to sacrifice myself so the rest of you can leave. There, happy?"

"Yes. Thank you." Yasu lets go of her arm; I can tell from my seat that it was tighter than she'd used with me earlier. She's really serious about this. Then again, it's in her nature; she's the Super High-School Level Friend, and what sort of friend wants to see someone they care about die?

I look down at my food and finish quickly, wanting more than ever to escape the tense atmosphere. By the time I'm in my room and evening fully rolls around, I'm more emotionally exhausted than ever. It's all so stupid, so childish. What mature person would lock teenagers in a school and make them kill each other? That's a certain kind of insane that I don't ever want to encounter again. Well, if all goes according to Monokuma's plan tomorrow, I won't.

I start trying to read the book Yasu gave me before the nighttime announcement plays, but my mind keeps wandering off the pages. My thoughts won't concentrate on anything but the time limit. Around this time tomorrow, I'll be dead.

I snap my book shut and set it aside. If I only have less than a day left, what good is sleep going to do me? It'll just waste time. I should do something more productive. So, clad in my pajamas, I go to the media room.

I don't think anyone has been in here since Sasaki and I checked the computers during the first week. Who knows if they'll magically work now? They probably won't, of course, but it's worth a shot.

The process of trying to boot up all of the computers seems to take ages longer since it's only me. Row after row don't power on. Something inside me shrinks just a little as I finish one side of the room. Maybe a part of me really had hope for this. Maybe a part of me really thought we could survive the time limit.

"Want some help?" It takes me a moment to register that it's not a hallucination talking to me; it's Aoyama. He's in his pajamas like I am. It's pretty late, after all. "You're trying to turn them on?"

"Yeah." For once, I don't stop to wonder why he's here. Any bit of help is appreciated, even from him. "I already did this side." He nods and starts trying to boot one up, the first one he saw coming in the door. He presses the button, then he stops and stares at it. To my horror, he then smacks it. "What are you doing?"

"This usually works with my old PC." He smacks it again as I gape at him. If he does much else, it'll be breaking the rule of no destruction of school property. And there's no way it'll actually- "There we go!"

I rush over as the screen lights up, showing a processing spiral. "You got lucky," I say in response to his smug smirk. "But… What could this mean?"

"It means Monokuma got careless. We probably could've accessed this from the start." He grabs the mouse, opening the computer's storage files. "If we're really lucky, there's something here we can use."

Someone's feeling helpful, but I can't afford to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Is there any internet connection?"

"No. All there is is whatever's saved to the computer. It looks like all these computers share the same files, so it's not like we get any computer-specific information, either." He clicks past a few folders before hovering over one labeled "HPA." "Bingo."

I lean in a little closer so I can see better. This seems a little too easy, especially what he said about the shared files. The first file opens as PDFs, some parts irreversibly blacked out. What we find first is a letter.

Headmaster [REDACTED],

Repeatedly ignoring our demands, I see. We've made it abundantly clear to you what we want. You have yet to deliver, or even acknowledge, what that is.

Here is your final warning. If nothing is done within a week, we will take action.

Believe me when I say that you will not like that.

Sincerely,

Successor

Then, from what I assume to be a week later:

Headmaster [REDACTED],

We warned you.

Good luck coming back from this.

If you even try sending someone from [REDACTED], I will personally ensure that there will be no survivors.

That includes whatever [REDACTED] agents you send.

Choose wisely.

Sincerely,

Successor

I blink up at Aoyama, glad I remembered to turn on the lights so I could actually see him. "What the hell is this?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. From just this… The second one could probably be counted as a ransom letter. Whatever it is, this 'Successor' obviously has beef with the headmaster for whatever reason. The real headmaster, not Monokuma." His eyes remain on the screen as he closes that file and opens the next, labeled "Roster." The name, at the very least, is helpful.

Though it is...odd. It details Hope's Peak's classes, sure, but not ours. We're Class Four, but here in front of us is data stretching from Class 70 to Class 78. Nothing is blacked out here, either, like on the files before; there are names, faces, everything. I vaguely recognize a handful of the names, but I would've thought that I would know more. Hope's Peak students are famous, or they're supposed to be. But Yukizome Chisa from Class 74, Izayoi Sonosuke from Class 76, Matsuda Yosuke from Class 77-A… None of their names, faces, or even talents ring a bell.

In fact, the only two students on this that I recognize are Nevermind Sonia, since I've traveled to the Novoselic Kingdom before, and Maizono Sayaka, from our earlier conversation. Aoyama lingers over Maizono's profile. "I didn't know she was a Hope's Peak student," he mutters almost crossly. "There was never a single mention of it online, and I know there definitely would've been."

If our situation were any less dire, I probably would've poked fun at him for being so interested in an idol. "Same with Princess Sonia, in Class 77-B. I was there when I was little, but I feel like I would've heard around her kingdom that she attended Hope's Peak." I try to do some mental math as I study the screen. Yeah, I would've been about seven or eight when she would've been in Hope's Peak, I think. I would've heard. After another second, I prod Aoyama's shoulder. "What's next?"

He shifts out of my reach, but opens the third file labeled "New." Unlike the last file, this one only contains names, and they start with Class One. I skim through them; Ito, Watanabe, none in the first class sound familiar. I count the names quickly before Aoyama goes to the next page. There are sixteen people in that class.

Hayashi, Sato… Sixteen people in Class Two as well.

Mori, Kemuri… Sixteen people in Class Three.

When we arrive at our page, the names are all blacked out. I frown at the screen, counting them as best as I can. My frown deepens as I count again, and again.

There are only fourteen students in Class Four.

"That makes no sense," Aoyama says when he's through counting. His eyebrows knit together as he counts again, just like I did. "We have sixteen in our class."

"That's right." ...But these documents are official, aren't they? "There has to be something else here. Something to explain the discrepancy, like maybe we had two late admissions?"

It's a stretch, but it would answer our questions. The last file in the folder has no name, and it's wildly different. It's not a PDF, for one; it looks like a screenshot of IMs or texts or something, but all the names are blacked out. I can't tell who they're between.

We can't resolve this one on our own. The others

are on standby, but your skillset is better for this.

We'll be there as soon as we can, we can leave for as long

as you need. [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] have everything

under control. We should've come right when [REDACTED]

called us. This might've been over by now.

I can't thank you enough.

Don't worry, [REDACTED]. We'll get your students back.

As far as I can tell, the correspondence happened a couple of days after we arrived. There's no date, but that would make the most sense. Aoyama lets out a frustrated sigh, pushing away from the computer. "I don't know what any of this means."

"Me neither." I look him in the eye for what may be the first time without any bit of contempt. "We have to tell the others about this. Maybe one of them knows something and can figure it out."

"Agreed." We pause as the bells sound to start the nighttime announcement. I shrug them off until my eyes land on the computer's time, which only reads 9:30 PM.

And that's the wrong pattern of bells.

"Shit." Aoyama quickly cuts the power to the computer, repeating that over and over, overlapping with the body discovery announcement as it calls us to the dorm hall.

I don't think I've ever been with Aoyama when a body discovery announcement has played. As we run down the hall, I see the panic fill him, and he looks just like my first impression of him. The closer we get to the dorms, the more a mask is pulled over his face to hide the panic. I'm sure I don't hide it as well as he does.

No, I'm thinking too hard about what could've possibly happened. None of us would murder, and I don't think Yoshida would break her promise with Yasu and do something stupid. Then again, with her luck, I can't be sure.

There's nobody in the dorm hall itself, no dead body to greet us as I feared there would be. There is, however, an open door. I slide in without even checking the nameplate.

I should've checked. Maybe then I wouldn't be so shocked at the scene in front of me. I stand frozen in the doorway, only moving when Aoyama shoves me aside so he can enter. Somehow, I beat him here.

Yasu lies peacefully in her bed, covered by her blanket. Her eyes are already closed. Sasaki shakes as she tries to find a pulse, even though the body discovery announcement already played. The time limit no longer hangs over our heads now, I guess. Someone's dead; the motive is done.

"I can't believe this," Nakamura says, braced up against a wall as he looks at Yasu with wide eyes. "Who… Who would kill Yasu, of all people?"

Abe's hands clench into fists at his side before he releases them. "Someone with a death wish, obviously." His statement goes one of two ways: nobody in their right mind would touch Yasu, but also it's certain death when we figure out who did it.

And, instinctively, we turn our heads to Yoshida, who pretends not to notice. It's hard not to consider her a suspect, thanks to her talking about sacrificing herself to get us out.

"Sad, ain't it?" Monokuma pushes his way past us and hops onto Yasu's bed, prodding her cheek with a paw before Sasaki swats him away. "Yep, dead alright. Lucky I was nearby or I wouldn't have known to sound the announcement!"

Yoshida rubs at her eyes out of exhaustion. It is late, after all. "Look, just give us the file or whatever and leave us alone. I'm too tired for this shit."

"Fine, fine." He makes a face at us as he tosses the files to us, sliding off of the bed. "Have fun, assholes!"

I roll my eyes and open the file, then blanch at how little there is written. It's almost a waste of paper. The victim is Kadoshima Yasu, Super High-School Level Friend. Estimated time of death is nine at night. No external wounds are noted. Not even the diagram has any relevant information. It's ridiculously vague.

"How can we determine anything like this?" Abe asks, nearly shouting, before Monokuma can leave the room.

"Hey, now, don't shoot the messenger!" Monokuma puts his paws up in surrender. I can't get an accurate read on whether or not he's being sarcastic. "I always put everything I know in there! Bear's honor!"

Everything he knows, huh? If he doesn't even know the cause of death, it might be accurate to say… "Do you not know who the killer is?" The words taste horribly sour as I say them, and I pray that I'm wrong. But he can't know the cause of death, or else he would've listed it.

Monokuma looks conflicted for just a moment before he sighs angrily. "Just do the investigation like normal. We'll discuss this later." Then he leaves, leaving us with more questions than answers for hopefully the last time.

Whatever. I choose to check the scene first instead of Yasu's body. I don't want to face this reality until I absolutely have to. There are no signs of a fight as far as I can see, no scratches on the walls or floor. Everything looks like it's in the same place as it was when I was in here only a few hours ago. Even all of her pictures and knickknacks on her desk look like they've remained untouched, if memory serves. It startles me momentarily that the only ones who had the chance to put up a fight were Matsumoto and Miyuki. But I digress.

Her room is really clean, just like it was before. The pictures hanging on her wall are still arranged exactly like they were earlier. I examine them a bit closer, hoping they hold some kind of clue. A fingerprint, anything. I'll take anything.

There are different people in each photo, their ages and Yasu's varying from what looks like two or three to sixteen, now. My fingers brush the picture right in front of me. Something that feels like a mental static shock hits me when I do. The picture itself holds no charge, but I swear I know the girl in the picture with Yasu from somewhere.

She's small- they both must've been eight or nine when this was taken- and I think she's in a wheelchair. She and Yasu both smile at the camera; the girl's green hair is brushed out, while Yasu's hair is short like it is now, though it's dark instead of being streaked with pink. Both of their eyes are alight, joyous. I swear the girl looks so familiar. Maybe she was in one of the class rosters from before?

"Why waste time looking at pictures?" Abe asks, appearing at my side. He doesn't catch me off-guard; I would've been if he said nothing. "We have actual evidence to collect, not memories from that far in the past."

"Right, sorry." Though Abe looks like he studies the photo at least as hard as I did, searching for answers. Instead of physically moving on, I look down at the desk itself. Nothing is written on the notepad, and I can't see any indentations from writing. Next to that and more pictures is a medicine organizer, one of the weekly ones. I have no idea what day of the week it is, or even was when we arrived, but the spaces Monday to Thursday are empty. Friday through Sunday still have medication in them. I can only assume that means Yasu took her medication today; she wouldn't have any reason not to. Sasaki would probably know.

What next… I check the bathroom, just to cover all our bases. There's nothing in the bathroom trash that shouldn't be there, no traces of blood or vomit that could suggest poison. The shower's dry, but that should check out with Yasu, so ultimately the bathroom yields no clues.

Her bedroom trash is another story. It still feels weird to go through it, but there's an empty water bottle and the remains of a sandwich, even though she had dinner in the dining hall with us. She was one of the few who finished. I look a bit closer, wondering if there's any significance with the kind of sandwich it is. "Hey, do we have anything...yellowish and leafy in the kitchen?"

"No?" Nakamura comes over as I pick the piece of whatever out, hoping it's not something disgusting. "Is that a petal?"

We exchange a quick look. I can already feel Sasaki's anger and disappointment radiating off of her. "This. This is why one blossom can be a big deal!" She throws her hands up before wringing them together. "Did I not warn you that ingesting common broom can be _lethal?_"

Slowly, I turn away, back to the petal. It's kinda torn, nearly a sliver, but it's unmistakable as a petal. So at least we can tell to some degree of certainty what killed her, though I do wonder if just one blossom would do the trick.

I take a breath, finally turning to face her body. "How was she found?" I ask as I approach, attempting to put this off for as long as I possibly can. From a short distance, she looks the most...normal out of all of the victims. Like she's about to wake up and wonder what we're all doing in her room.

"I found her," Sasaki says, her eyes turned down. We didn't discuss guarding the scene this time, but she's been keeping a sharp, vigilant eye on everyone. "I was going to make sure that she was alright; I've been doing that every so often since after Matsumoto's trial. She didn't answer when I knocked, and when I tried her door, it was unlocked. I shouted, and Yoshida, Abe, and Nakamura heard me and came in."

So everyone except for me and Aoyama. We're each others' alibis for the time Yasu was discovered, and quite likely her time of death, too. "Where were you before that?"

"The garden upstairs. I was still trying to figure out the situation up there." She starts playing with the straps of her overalls. "If I remember, Abe and Nakamura came from the direction of the dining hall. Yoshida was in the hall, about to enter her room."

Okay, good to know. And...now that part I don't want to do. Yasu feels like a doll, her skin cool and stiff. There's no blood anywhere, no bruises. I would almost expect the cause to be some kind of poison, one that doesn't leave physical marks. I have no clue if common broom is like that. When I turn to ask Sasaki, she's left to another part of the room.

I turn to Yasu again. She's tucked in neatly, in her pajamas already. Whatever killed her must've been slow-acting, at least long enough for her to get comfortable, which I realize is a horrible thought and an awful way to go. I hope she wasn't in much pain.

The rest of the alibis can wait for the trial, I think. I don't know what else we could possibly look for. "Why did it take you and Aoyama so long to get here?" Yoshida asks, both of us trying to find whatever we can wherever we can.

"It's…" I think about what I should say. Yes, it's important that we all discuss it, but now is definitely not the right time. "It's nothing; we'll tell you after the trial. We need to focus on that first."

She gives me a tired look, but doesn't press. "What are we supposed to do with the little evidence we have?" Aoyama sighs out. For once he actually sounds concerned about our chances, as he should. And I'm unsure about what Monokuma's up to with all of this. Anything could happen and I'm sick of it.

Or, more accurately, nothing could happen. Time drags on, and even though it feels like we've found everything we could, Monokuma doesn't call us to the trial room. So we look harder. At one point, Abe leaves to check the kitchen for signs of use. I steal glances at the monitor as I dig for literally anything that could be used as evidence. Monokuma doesn't show up still.

By the time he finally calls us, we've been sitting in the hall waiting for at least a handful of minutes. We're all eerily silent, and that continues as we get to the elevator. There are so many unknowns here, it's driving me crazy. We have to pull ourselves together somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I laugh, because hoo boy we're really getting into it now!


End file.
